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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
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The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/twoamericas01reye 



THE TWO AMERICAS 




GENERAL RAFAEL REYES 



THE TWO AMERICAS 



BY 

GENERAL RAFAEL REYES 

EX-PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 

TRANSLATED FROM THE SPANISH, WITH ADDED NOTES BY 

LEOPOLD GRAHAME 



WITH THIRTY-ONE ILLUSTRATIONS 
FROM PHOTOGRAPHS 




NEW YORK 

FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 

MCMXIV 






Copyright, 191k, by 
Frederick A. Stokes Compant 

All rights reserved, including that of translation into foreign 
languages, including the Scandinavian 




MAR 10 1914 



D 



February, 1914 



/. 



Us* 



©CI.A362838 
A-o/ 



PUBLISHERS' NOTICE 

Many of the illustrations in this book are from 
originals kindly furnished by the Pan-American 
Union, for which courtesy the author and publishers 
extend their grateful acknowledgments. 



TRANSLATOR'S NOTE 

WITH a view to enhance the practical objects 
of this book and to fulfil more adequately 
the requirements of the English-reading public, it 
has been thought desirable — with the acquiescence 
of the author — to make some departures from the 
order and form of the Spanish manuscript; but, 
whilst these and other changes rendered necessary 
by the widely varying modes of expression of the 
two languages may obscure the high literary value 
of the original work, scrupulous care has been exer- 
cised in the effort to present a faithful and accurate 
interpretation of the author 's views and statements. 
Due largely to the wish to do full justice to the 
phenomenal progress of the greater countries to the 
south, the sketches and descriptions of some of the 
Republics of lesser importance are necessarily brief 
and fragmentary ; but they have been so designed as 
to furnish a comprehensive view of their main fea- 
tures and their future possibilities. This, it is 
hoped, will satisfy the minds of those seeking in- 
formation as to the position and prospects of many 
of the lands of promise in the "Continent of the 
Future.' ' Leopold Gbahamb. 

New York December, 1913. 

vii 



CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Publisher's Note v 

Translator's Note vii 

Introduction xix-xxxii 



CHAPTER I 
My Visit to Europe 



The Iberian Peninsula — Similarity of characteristics and 
physical conditions — National dignity and hospitality — A 
true christian democracy in Spain — The influence of the 
Church — Establishment in Madrid of the Ibero-American 
Union to promote closer relations with the Latin-American 
republics — A trip through Portugal — The Portuguese Con- 
quistadores. 

CHAPTER II 
In Paris 11 

My reception by the Franco-American Committee and the 
diplomatic representatives of the Latin countries — An ad- 
dress of welcome by M. Frangois Carnot — Co-operation of 
the Franco-American Committee with the Ibero-American 
Union of Madrid in the development of racial objects and 
ideals — Conference at the Hotel Majestic attended by dis- 
tinguished leaders of the Latin race — Notable addresses by 
M. Carnot and the Spanish ambassador to France — A closer 
union of all the Latin nations based on principles of jus- 
tice — The force exercised by the Latins of Europe and 
America as a stimulant to the progress of the world. 



CHAPTER III 
In the United States 21 

The dominant features of national character — The American 
edifice built up on the elevated civic virtues of Washington, 

ix 



x CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Franklin, and other pioneers of independence — The love of 
immigrants for the land of their adoption the same in the 
United States as in Argentine, Chile, and Brazil, where the 
private and public virtues of the founders of those nations 
constitute the basic formation of character — The genuine 
American sentiment is to resist the rule of Mammon, not- 
withstanding the modern growth of imperialism and dollar 
diplomacy — Latin-American countries need the sympathy and 
help of the United States for their progressive development — 
The error of many of the Latin republics in adopting the 
laws and institutions of the United States before preparing 
their people to properly use and understand them— Periods 
of revolution and disorder gradually ending — Functions 
given in my honor by the Pan-American Society of the 
United States and other public bodies engaged in the effort 
to extend the objects of Pan-Americanism— -Speeches by no- 
table authorities — The propaganda in favor of American 
union — The Pan-American Union and the Pan-American So- 
ciety of the United States — The Pan-American Congresses 
in Latin-America — The ardent labors of Senator Elihu 
Eoot, of the Hon. John Barrett, of Secretary Bryan, Col. 
Eoosevelt, and others — The Clark University Conference on 
Latin-America — The doctrines of President Monroe, Presi- 
dent Eoque Saenz Pefia, and Senator Lodge — The baneful 
effects of imperialism — Interviews with American notabili- 
ties — The Explorers' Club, of New York, and my early ex- 
plorations. 

CHAPTER IV 
My Early Explorations 40 

The primitive conditions of nature — The savage native In- 
dians — The immense territories and waters spreading from 
the central mass of the Andes to the Atlantic, unknown dur- 
ing the colonial period — My first visit to those regions with 
my brothers, Henry and Nestor — Traversing the rivers of 
Peru, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina. 
Explorations continued for several years at our personal ex- 
pense without government aid — My brothers perish while 
engaged in the arduous enterprise, Henry as a victim of yel- 
low fever, and Nestor at the hands of the Putumayo canni- 
bals, who devoured him — Crossing the cordillera of the Andes 
on foot to a height of 12,000 feet above sea level to the 
region of perpetual snows — Opening up roads through un- 
known forests, inhabited by vipers and wild beasts, cutting 
down with the machete the brambles, briars, and creepers, 
which obstructed our passage — Making friends and guides 
of the cannibal tribes — After great hardships we ultimately 
discover a river navigable for steamships, between Colombia 



CONTENTS xi 

PAGE 

and the main waters of the Amazon — My arrival at Eio de 
Janeiro, and reception by Dom Pedro II, who showed keen 
interest in the discovery of the new waterway — Later ex- 
plorations — Establishment of steam navigation and an over- 
land route between Pasto and different points of the 
Andes — The subsequent extension of these channels of com- 
munication with the proposed Inter-Continental Eailway 
and the Panama Canal will ultimately lead to the linking up 
of the entire continent. 



CHAPTER V 
The Panama Canal 62 

The first measures to construct a canal to join the waters 
of the Atlantic with those of the Pacific — Many conces- 
sions granted, but no construction work commenced until 
the end of 1887— The treaty of 1846 with New Granada— 
The later negotiations with Great Britain in regard to the 
Clayton- Bulwer (1850) and Hay-Pauncefote (1901) treaties 
— The acquisition by the United States of the concession and 
rights of the French Company obtained by the latter from 
the Government of Colombia — The Hay-Herran treaty 
(1903) and its rejection by the Colombian Senate — The rev- 
olution in Panama, the declaration of its independence and 
its subsequent recognition by the United States — My efforts 
to suppress the revolution with the aid of the military forces 
placed under my command impeded by American warships 
whose officers prevented the embarkation of Colombian 
troops for the seat of the rebellion — My later visit to Wash- 
ington as the special envoy of my government to secure a 
modification of the Hay-Herran treaty — Failure of the mis- 
sion — The diplomatic negociations — American authorities 
cited to show justice of Colombia's action — The pending 
claims and what they embody — The advantages of the canal 
and of a settlement with Colombia. 



CHAPTER VI 

From New York to Brazil 78 

By the Voltaire from New York to Eio de Janeiro — The 
change from the cold, gray haziness of winter to the warmer 
climes and sunny scenes to the south of the equator — The 
study of the passengers — Different types of Americans — 
Eussian nihilists and anarchists from Southern Europe — Our 
approach to the mouth of the Amazon, the "Sea Elver," 
which is navigable over a distance of 13,000 miles. 



xii CONTENTS 

CHAPTER VII 

PAGE 

In Brazil 84 

Its extension and geographical limits — Physical division and 
population — Discovery and conquest — History and changes of 
rule — The two empires — Dom Pedro II, personal recollections 
— Brazil's modern progress — The Development of its re- 
sources and stability of government — National culture and 
ideals Geological formation. 

CHAPTER VIII 
In Bahia and Rio de Janeiro 106 

Transformation of the city — Brazilians the enemies of tree 
culture — Rich soil — The cultivation of tobacco, cacao and 
other tropical products — Bahia the third city of importance 
in Brazil — Population and classification of industries — Nota- 
ble buildings — The journey from Bahia, to Rio de Janeiro — 
Arrival at the Federal Capital — The magnificence of the sur- 
rounding scenery — The spacious parks and avenues, the ma- 
jestic palms and the palatial and artistic buildings — Area 
and population — The Marquis of San Vicente — The aboli- 
tion of slavery and how it was accomplished — My visits to 
the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs — From 
Bio to Montevideo by land — The difficulties of the trip. 

CHAPTER IX 

The City and State of Sao Paulo 122 

Travelling through several States I reach the City of Sao 
Paulo — Reception by state officials — One of the most beauti- 
ful cities of the western hemisphere — The picturesque gar- 
dens, public squares, well-paved streets and handsome monu- 
ments — State education highly advanced — The increasing 
growth of industrial life — The State contains many manu- 
facturing establishments, although the cultivation of coffee 
constitutes the main industry — The great ' ' red ' ' lands — The 
treatment of the laborers by the coffee planters — The pro- 
duction of coffee and value of the plants — Other industries 
and land values — Railways in the State — Natives of Sao 
Paulo, the "Yankees of Brazil" — The State possesses many 
indigenous plants, which could be profitably exploited for 
the production of essential oils and extracts — Great oppor- 
tunities offered by natural resources — Sao Paulo the birth- 
place of many of Brazil's leading statesmen, writers and 
scientists — Brazilian literature, art and science. 



CONTENTS xiii 

CHAPTER X 

PAGE 

Through Brazil by Land to the River Plate . . . 138 

The pastoral and agricultural industries of Brazil — Favora- 
ble climatic conditions — Flora and fauna — The wild animals 
of the forests — An exciting adventure with a herd of fight- 
ing boars — The State of Parana — Inter-tropical vegetation — 
The Panama pines — Cultivation of cotton — The capital of 
the State — The foreign colonies — A new generation of patri- 
otic Brazilians — How the new population lives — Division of 
the land — Pine wood and mat6 production — New cities in 
course of formation — The assimilation of the new comers- 
Extension of railways — The pioneers of the iron horse — 
Wages of laborers — Cultivation of the banana industry — 
Unpopulated fertile lands awaiting the hand of the agricul- 
turist — The knowledge of foreign languages — ignorance of 
conditions in Brazil impedes large extension of commerce 
with the United States. 

CHAPTER XI 
The Oriental Republic of Uruguay 166 

The rich meadow lands of the Banda Oriental — The evolu- 
tion of political conditions in Uruguay — The national con- 
stitution exercises a progressive spirit on the country — The 
codification of the laws — Favorable comments of foreign au- 
thorities — Preparing for colonization — Healthy conditions re- 
flected in the low rate of mortality — The origin and devel- 
opment of the stock-raising industry — Wool production and 
European speculators — Montevideo a beautiful city — The 
character of the people — Mistaken patriotism hitherto a 
drawback to progress — Baneful effects of past revolutions on 
national production — Industrial and commercial advance — 
Means of communication rapidly extending — Colonization in- 
creasing — Uruguay's policy towards her neighbours — Port 
improvements — Education and justice — A land of the future. 



CHAPTER XII 
The Republic op Chile 183 

The barrier of the Andes — The transandine railway another 
link in the joining up of the Atlantic with the Pacific — 
Physical conditions — Volcanic outbreaks — Crossing the An- 
des — The imposing scenery — The Christ of the Andes — 
The rich and fertile lands in the valley of Aconcagua — The 
Chilean huaso at home — Topography and climate — The ni- 



xiv CONTENTS 

PAGE 

trate industry — Development of national resources — The 
cities of the republic — Political organization and public life 
— Ethnological conditions and their effects on the people — 
The Araueanian Indians, the only unconquered race of In- 
dians on the American continent — Their final entry into 
Chilean citizenship — Hospitality a national practice — A visit 
to Almahue — The national dance, la cueca, more graceful and 
attractive than any other known to the Spanish-speaking 
peoples — Mineral wealth of Chile — Advantages to be derived 
from the opening of the Panama Canal — Cultivation of 
fruits and flowers — Chile the garden of the temperate zone in 
South America — Nationalization of railways — Population — 
Proportion of foreigners to inborn citizens particularly small 
— Education making rapid strides. 

CHAPTER XIII 
The Argentine Republic 207 

Wealth of the soil — Phenomenal progress in every branch of 
national life — Geographical division — The Patagonian region 
— Geological formation — Theories of scientists as to the dis- 
appearance of mammals — Climatic conditions — Discovery and 
conquest of Argentina — History — Foundation of the Colonies 
— Ultimate independence. 

CHAPTER XIV 
In Camp and City 222 

Eacial characteristics — Immigrants an element of force — 
The Argentine estancia — Agricultural and pastoral produc- 
tion — Life on the ranches — Land values constantly rising — 
The City of Buenos Aires — Its elegance and culture bear 
favorable comparison with those of any European city — 
Fabulous prices paid for pedigree stock — Enormous and 
rapid growth of the city — Extension of electric tramways, 
lighting and docks based on plans of American engineers — 
Other cities of the Eepublie. 

CHAPTER XV 

Argentine Conditions, Progress and Culture . . 235 

Religious and political liberty — Liberality of the constitu- 
tion — Tolerance and freedom the watchwords of national 
legislation — Population heterogeneous, Spanish and Italian 
predominating — Few Americans — Germans numerically 
stronger than British — British capital invested in Republic 
reaches $2,000,000,000 — Every British subject resident in 



CONTENTS xv 

PAGE 

country represents $66,000 — German trade rapidly increasing 
— The protection of foreign interests — National honesty — 
Nearly one hundred million dollars remitted annually to 
Great Britain by way of dividends and interest on invest- 
ments — Advanced legislation — Argentine diplomats and ju- 
rists — Buenos Aires an attractive city for foreign diplomats. 



CHAPTER XVI 

Argentine Commeece and Finance 248 

Imports and exports — Value of Argentine market to the 
United States — Many articles manufactured in U. S. are im- 
ported from Europe at higher prices owing to absence of 
more direct contact between manufacturer and importer — 
Eailway extension — Currency laws — Conversion of gold and 
currency established on permanent basis with no possibility 
of fluctuations — Gold reserves, maintained by law, already 
exceed $264,000,000 — Proposed change of monetary unit — 
National bonds and foreign markets — Eeciprocal tariffs may 
lead to increased commercial relations with the United 
States. 

CHAPTER XVII 

The Republic of Peru . 256 

Productive capacity of Peru — Lima, the historic and pic- 
turesque capital — Called by its founder, Pizarro, the "City 
of the Kings" and, later, "a precious shrine of colonial 
gallantries and splendours" — Dignity and aristocratic quali- 
ties of its inhabitants — Educational establishments — Princi- 
pal products, minerals and nitrates — Railways spreading out 
even in the direction of the Amazonie territories — Connec- 
tions now being made between Lima, La Paz and Panama 
Canal — The Peruvian Corporation — Mixture of the races — 
Peru 's foreign trade largely in the hands of Great Britain — 
British institutions and names prominent in Peru — Litera- 
ture and culture. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

The Republic of Boltvta . 266 

Wide contrasts in all national conditions — Topography, cli- 
mate, products and inhabitants constitute mass of conflicting 
elements — The mysterious lakes and the legendary Titicaca — 
The fruitful warm lands and the eternally snow-capped 



xvi CONTENTS 

PAGE 

mountains — Principal cities — La Paz, the capital, the highest 
in the world — Bailways penetrate the mountains — The In- 
dians and their domestic customs- — Industrial activity ex- 
tending. 

CHAPTER XIX 
The Republic op Ecuador 272 

Early history — Ecuador the first country in Spanish Amer- 
ica to demand independence — Eepublic making steady pro- 
gress, but rapid advance impeded by lack of financial re- 
sources and foreign credit — Territory rich in minerals — Other 
Industries restricted by absence of adequate railway com- 
munication — Panama hats a principal product — Quito, the 
capital of the Eepublic, distinguished by its beautiful build- 
ings and patrician society — Ecuador, despite the adoption of 
the metric system, still uses the old Spanish weights and 
measures — Patriotism of the people — Opening of Panama 
Canal will confer important material advantages on coun- 
try. 

CHAPTER XX 
The Republic of Colombia 277 

Possesses a coast extending from ocean to ocean, embracing 
vast areas of productive soil — Eevolutionary period ended — 
Eepublic now on forward march — Mineral and vegetable 
products — The ports of the Eepublic — Tropical vegetation — 
Life in the valleys and on the rivers Cities and popula- 
tion — Flourishing industrial centers — Gold production — In- 
terview with Mr. Thomas A. Edison — Bogota, a delightful 
city where warm and unaffected hospitality is extended to 
the stranger — The women of Colombia and their influence 
on the national character — Cardinal Farley's views as ex- 
pressed to the author — My accession to the presidency of the 
Eepublic — My first administrative acts — Eeorganization of 
the army — Educational advance — Great future of the country 
will be assisted by opening of Panama Canal and exten- 
sion of railways — Analysis of moral conditions of the people 
— Population and racial characteristics — Completion of canal 
will bring an influx of immigration — Peace and prosperity 
now the national motto — Last will and testament of Bolivar, 
the Liberator. 

CHAPTER XXI 
Conclusion 302 



ILLUSTRATIONS 



General R. Reyes . . . . . . Frontispiece ^ 

PACING 
PAGE 

Buildings and Grounds oe the Pan-American Union, 

Washington, D. C 26 ^ 

Dr. Belisario Porras, the President of Panama . . 27 i/ 
First View op Canal Since the Blowing up of Gamboa 

Dike 64 ^ 

First Vessel Passes through Gatun Locks op Panama 

Canal .65^ 

Marshal Hermes da Fonseca, President op Brazil . 84 ^ 

Salto de Piracicaba, Brazil 85 v 

BlBLIOTHECA NATIONAL, RlO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL • . . 106 ' 

Avenida Rio Branco, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil . . . 107 

A Full Grown Coffee Plant 116 v 

Loading Coffee at Santos, Brazil 117 

Making Coffee Bags in the Factory of Santa Anna, 

State of Sao Paulo 130 

Normal School in the Capital of Sao Paulo . . . 131 V 

Sr. Don Jose Battle y Ordonez, President op Uruguay 166 v 

"Plaza de la Libertad," Montevideo, Uruguay . - . . 167 v 

Ramon Barros Luco, President op Chile .... 184 

R. Reyes and Two "Huasos," Chile 185 S 

Mercurio Building, Valparaiso, Chile .... 204 l 

New Palace op Fine Arts, Santiago, Chile . . . 205 
Dr. Roque Saenz Pena, President op the Argentine 

Republic 218 

xvii 



xviii ILLUSTRATIONS 



FACING 
PAGE 



Plaza Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina .... 219 

Docks and Elevators, Buenos Aires, Argentina . . 234 

Bathing Cattle, Buenos Aires, Argentina . . . 235 • 

Threshing Wheat, Argentina 254 x 

Lima, Peru 255 v 

Cathedral, Lima, Peru . 264 

Government Palace, Bolivia 265 

"Plaza," La Paz, Bolivia . . . . . . .274^ 

Bolivar Park and Statue op General Simon Bolivar, 

Guayaquil, Ecuador 275 v 

Military Parade in the Plaza, Quito, Ecuador . . 284 y 

Bolivar Park, Bogota, Colombia 285 v 



INTRODUCTION 

rpHE numerous additions which have lately been 
-*■ made to Pan-American literature and the un- 
questionable authority of some of the distinguished 
writers in that field have rendered available to the 
student of Latin-American conditions much hith- 
erto inaccessible information relating to the coun- 
tries in the southern portion of the American con- 
tinent. 

In the preparation of this book I have studiously 
avoided the attempt to furnish a complete history 
of the various States, or, to deal, in detail, with 
matters which should more appropriately come 
within the scope of technical publications. This 
work represents a record of my recent travels 
through the Latin countries; an epitome of the 
observations and deductions made during the many 
years in which I have enjoyed special facilities for 
closely following, step by step, the development of 
the American Eepublics and the convulsions of their 
ardent and vexed democracies; the fulfilment of a 
long-cherished desire to survey personally those 
Eepublics, in order to gather, at first hand, interest- 
ing data concerning their progress, their prospects, 

xix 



xx THE TWO AMERICAS 

and their possibilities ; and the opportunity to raise 
a sincere voice of encouragement for an entente 
cordiale among them all, from the standpoint that 
these nations of common origin should strengthen 
their mutual relations and, in fraternal embrace, 
hasten the advent of that glorious future to which 
they are so manifestly entitled by their resources 
and their traditions. Yet, it is not alone by peaceful 
development within their borders, or by a wider 
recognition of the ties of sisterhood among them- 
selves, that their legitimate aspirations will be fully 
realized. It is essential to the welfare of the entire 
continent that the same friendly intercourse and 
cordial relations should be established with the 
United States, so that all the countries of the west- 
ern hemisphere may labor, side by side, to their 
collective and individual advantage and for the 
glorification of America as a whole. 

The doubts and suspicions prevailing in the south 
as to the policy and intentions of the United States 
toward the other Republics must disappear to 
make way for a true union of the two Americas; 
and it may be permitted to me, as one who has 
played a prominent part in the effort to secure 
the blessings of peace in some of the southern Re- 
publics, to point out what I regard as the primary 
causes of these doubts and suspicions and to indi- 
cate the course of action and the methods whereby 
they may be removed. 



INTRODUCTION xxi 

When I commenced my tour through the Two 
Americas, it was my intention to visit all the coun- 
tries forming the great South American Continent, 
including the States of Central America, from the 
Rio Grande to the Straits of Magellan, as well as 
those constituting the Archipelago of the Antilles. 
Owing to circumstances beyond my control, added 
to a breakdown in health, I was unable to fulfil the 
mission I had voluntarily undertaken, although I 
visited a sufficient number of those promising lands 
to establish the identity of the basic conditions 
which govern the whole of Latin America. 

Some of these countries, particularly in Central 
America, notwithstanding their comparatively cir- 
cumscribed areas, possess great potential wealth, 
enlightened citizens, and most of the favorable con- 
ditions of the sister-Republics. During the greater 
part of their history they have been victims of the 
internal political dissensions and fratricidal wars 
which have weakened the forces of so many Latin- 
American nations ; but, to-day, there is justification 
for the view that they are emerging from the troub- 
lous conditions induced by these incessant revolu- 
tions and that their differences are being adjusted 
by more peaceful measures, creditable alike to their 
honor and to their patriotism. These nations are 
beginning to learn that their material prosperity 
rests on the establishment of confidence abroad, 
where respect for authority and orderly govern- 



xxii THE TWO AMERICAS 

ment is as much regarded as a consideration in 
the investment of capital in foreign countries as 
is the value of the security offered by the undevel- 
oped national wealth. 

Unhappily, there is one country of Latin America 
still afflicted by the horrors of civil war; but that 
country, like the others of Central and South 
America, has many sons, distinguished by their ele- 
vated sentiments and breadth of view, who will 
eventually succeed in definitely closing the era of 
internecine strife and in subordinating the interests 
of party to the higher interests of State. Mean- 
while the thought must weigh that, if any Eepublic 
on this continent obstinately continues in the oppo- 
site course, neither the indomitable bravery of its 
people, the extent of its territory, nor the inexhaust- 
ible wealth of its resources will prevail to save it 
from succumbing to the influences of the unwritten 
law of modern intervention. There are many fac- 
tors operating as a bar to friendly relations and 
mutual confidence between the Latin Republics and 
the United States ; but, while the fundamental cause 
of much of the unfriendly feeling now unfortunately 
existing in the greater part of Latin America may 
be traced back to the protracted disturbances in the 
political conditions of some of the smaller Repub- 
lics, the United States is very largely responsible 
for the uneasiness and apprehensions which appear 



INTRODUCTION xxiii 

to inspire all the Latin countries in their dealings 
with the great Bepublic of the North. 

One reason for the present situation is the pop- 
ular misconception in the United States of the real 
significance and objects of the Monroe Doctrine, 
which in many quarters is looked upon as a kind 
of international police regulation to be administered 
by the authorities at Washington for the better 
preservation of law and order in the somewhat ex- 
tensive ' ' municipal area ' ' of Latin America. It does 
not appear to be sufficiently known, or understood, 
that President Monroe's famous declaration, in 
1823, was designed as a measure of protection for, 
and not as an instrument of attack upon, the integ- 
rity of the then recently established Spanish Ee- 
publics ; and that, from its initial adoption down to 
its latter day reaffirmation, it was intended and has 
been declared to be governed by the sole purpose of 
linking together the sisterhood of the American 
Eepublics and of guarding the weaker States against 
the undue aggression of any of the countries of the 
other hemisphere. This interpretation of the much 
abused Doctrine has been distorted by a not uncer- 
tain wave of misrepresentation, strengthened by a 
section of the press, into a widespread belief that 
the United States derives from its provisions the 
right to intervene in the internal affairs of, and to 
exercise a species of suzerainty over, some of the 
Latin Eepublics, when it is considered desirable or 



xxiv THE TWO AMERICAS 

necessary to do so. It is by that belief, to which 
color has been given on frequent occasions by mis- 
taken official action, that the doubts and fears enter- 
tained in Latin-America in regard to the United 
States have been engendered. That pernicious 
propaganda has likewise tended to obscure the fact 
that every one of those Republics, which, in their 
early political development, struggled so valiantly 
to free themselves from the yoke of oppression and 
the misgovernment to which in their colonial serf- 
dom they had for so long been subjected, is a dis- 
tinct unit among the American nations with an in- 
contestable right to complete independence and 
sovereignty. 

Another element which has served to accentuate 
the distrust of the Latin people of the American con- 
tinent in their international relations with the 
United States is the still largely existing lack of 
knowledge of actual conditions. The term "South 
America,' ' as applied, with a delightful disregard 
of geographical accuracy, to all the Eepublics of 
America outside the United States, is usually asso- 
ciated by a not inconsiderable number of American 
citizens with a race of people possessed of terri- 
tories enveloping great natural wealth, but, of a 
grade of civilization on a footing, more or less, with 
the Filipinos or, perhaps, the Hawaiians. 

It seems to be overlooked that the people of Latin 
America are the descendants of a race imbued with 



INTRODUCTION xxv 

that beautiful spirit which inspires all great achieve- 
ments; that their intellectual qualities, their blood, 
and their energies, make them ideal nation builders, 
embodying all the higher elements of progress. It 
seems also to be overlooked that the moral and 
material advance of some of those Eepublics has 
placed them in the forefront of great nations ; and, 
that what has happened in those cases will be re- 
peated in the course of time by the now less ad- 
vanced nations which have already furnished abund- 
ant proofs of their virility and progressive spirit. 
Personal intercourse and knowledge enable me to 
appreciate the sterling qualities which underlie the 
occasional mistaken patriotism and ambitious ideals 
of some of these people in whose soil are planted the 
germs of future greatness; and with the blessings 
of peace they must ultimately triumph and reap the 
rich harvest of good that awaits them. 

Another dangerous weapon in this campaign of 
ignorance and slander is the ill-concealed attempt 
to convert the ' 'bogey" of the " big stick" into a 
reality. It is true that the existence of that instru- 
ment is implied rather than expressed, but, in many 
directions it is metaphorically flourished with result- 
ant harm to the United States as well as to many 
of the other Republics. The effects of the aggres- 
sive spirit which dictates that implication of supe- 
rior force may be seen in every phase of interna- 
tional life. In one case it is the banker, who, with 



xxvi THE TWO AMERICAS 

a natural desire for the protection of his invest- 
ment, unwittingly leads his Government to attach 
conditions to a contemplated loan, suggestive, to 
the sensitive Latin mind, of an encroachment upon 
the independence of the borrowing State. In an- 
other, it is the commercial traveller who approaches 
the Latin- American buyer in the belief that the latter 
is conscious of his inferiority and that he must yield, 
not to the blandishments, but to the political equip- 
ment of the would-be representative of " Uncle 
Sam," disporting the end of the "big stick" beneath 
the tails of his coat. 

There are also other and very serious causes of 
the alienation of the confidence of the south in the 
good faith of the north, not least of which is the 
matter of the Panama Canal, in relation to the 
dismemberment of Colombian territory,, which I 
have dealt with, at some length, elsewhere in these 
pages. Personally, I have never failed to seize an 
occasion for the expression of my admiration of 
the high qualities and undoubted sense of justice 
of the great majority of the people of the United 
States. I believe, to the fullest extent, in the sin- 
cerity of their avowed desire for the fulfilment of the 
aspirations and for the welfare of all the Latin 
Eepublics ; but it must be remembered that in South 
America — not the America which cries "America 
for the North Americans," but in the America that 
heralds the sentiment of "America for humanity" 



INTRODUCTION xxvii 

— there are people who, guided by their civic spirit 
and their traditions, do not and will not submit to 
being treated as nations incapable of self-govern- 
ment, or as unfit, without guardians, to manage 
their own affairs. 

In my opinion, the opening of the Panama Canal 
will solve many of the difficulties which have arisen 
through the present lack of intercourse between 
the people of North and South America, but even 
that beneficial change of conditions will not serve, 
by itself, to eradicate the evils of the past. That 
important event will doubtless produce a great in- 
flow of immigration to the rich territories which 
will thus be opened up to myriads of human beings 
who will leave the congested countries of Europe 
to seek a new home and a more bountiful living in 
those lands of promise. But, there must be a more 
general acceptance of the fact that the relations 
of the United States with the Latin Eepublics are 
those of a friendly, powerful neighbor, with no 
other objects than the advantages to be gained from 
the ties of sisterhood and an extension of commerce. 
There must be saner propaganda as to the inalien- 
able national independence of even the smallest of 
the Latin States. There must be no "big-stick"; 
and no such use of the Monroe Doctrine as to make 
it an instrument of terror to the smaller Eepublics 
and a subject for ridicule in the more progressive 
countries of the south. The great Republics of 



xxviii THE TWO AMERICAS 

South America appreciate and sympathize with the 
benevolent designs and objects of that doctrine 
which has been supplemented by a doctrine of 
their own, to protect the weaker States against the 
employment of armed force by foreign nations for 
the collection of contractual debts; but they resent 
the demonstration of the domination and tutelage 
which imply that they need the protection of the 
United States against foreign aggression. 

These nations, which owe their birth to heroes of 
the type of San Martin and Bolivar, have perpetu- 
ated their traditions by the creation of great figures 
in the domains of jurisprudence, philosophy, litera- 
ture and art. They have no other territorial ambi- 
tions than the preservation and cultivation of the 
areas within their properly defined limits. They 
have attained a position in the council of nations 
which gives them the right to a voice in defense of 
the interests of their weaker sisters ; and, while they 
have always refrained from the exercise of that 
voice, in an official or active form, it is not improba- 
ble, unless conditions are improved, that alliances 
may be made to give effect to popular sympathies 
and sentiments. 

Although widely separated by distance and by 
the absence of community of interests, the ties of 
blood and of common descent cause an attack upon 
the independence of any one of these nations to be 
viewed as an attack upon them all. In foreign trade 



INTRODUCTION xxix 

they desire to increase their relations with the 
United States, notwithstanding the fact that they are 
indebted for a large share of their great prosperity 
to European capital and immigration. Under equal 
conditions they are even disposed to encourage fa- 
vors to American commerce ; but it is essential that 
the people of the United States should understand 
that such favors are dictated exclusively by motives 
of friendship and by a desire for the establishment 
of American union in its best sense. The future 
greatness of America lies in the union of all its 
component parts and that desirable object will only 
secure accomplishment when the futility of imperial- 
ism is realized by the north ; and when the necessity 
for the settlement of boundary and other differences 
in the field of justice alone is recognized by the 
south. I desire, however, not to be misunderstood. 
When I speak of imperialism I do so in the sense 
that marked my recent addresses in the United 
States. I refer, as is natural and logical, not to 
the great majority of American citizens, but only to 
a small number who have lately advanced such 
views. 

During the greater part of my life I have labored 
actively in the interests of the Latin race, of unity 
in the expression of the high ideals which Spain 
bequeathed to her sons in America, and of Pan- 
American union. In 1911 I renewed my efforts by 
giving public utterance to the views here set forth, 



xxx THE TWO AMERICAS 

in many countries of the old and new world. I 
demonstrated there, as I have in these pages, the 
astounding and diverse advantages which the com- 
pletion of the Panama Canal will not only confer 
upon Latin America, but upon humanity at large; 
and I have persistently declared that those advan- 
tages to all the countries of America will increase 
in a degree corresponding to the growth of inter- 
national friendship. I also pointed out the solemn 
duty, incumbent upon all Latins, lovers of our sacred 
traditions, to unify our aims and tendencies and by 
the establishment of peace to render unassailable 
the supremacy of the Latin element in our continent 
on the same broad and humanitarian lines as have 
been followed by the Anglo-Saxon race in its con- 
quest of the north. These are the main objects of 
this little work, which, it is my earnest hope, may, 
in some measure, enable the various Eepublics to 
become better acquainted with each other, to unite 
and to work in common accord as daughters of one 
mother, resisting encroachment upon their natural 
rights and putting forth every effort for their com- 
bined progress. 

In these preliminary observations it is, perhaps, 
necessary to explain the insertion of chapters on 
the Latin countries of Europe in a book purporting 
to treat exclusively of the "Two Americas." The 
relation, however, of both Spain and France to the 
subject under review is to be found in the active 



INTRODUCTION xxxi 

movement now proceeding in those countries for 
unity of thought and action among all the people 
of Latin origin. There is Spain with a long roll of 
illustrious men who honor the glorious records of 
her history, men of great worth and of preeminent 
virtues, who will follow the route set by their con- 
quistador ancestors ; and France, whose name recalls 
magnificent epics and revives innumerable glories, 
which, with the symbol of her immortal device, 
" Liberty, Equality, Fraternity," will help to con- 
solidate the liberty of the Latin people, to estab- 
lish equality by equitable treatment of the grave 
questions now to the fore, and to promote fraternal 
sentiments among the children of the great family. 
In the description of the different countries dealt 
with, but scant attention has been paid to chrono- 
logical order or completeness of detail. My aim 
has been so to treat each country as to explain, as 
comprehensively as possible, its physical features, 
the history and characteristics of its people, the 
nature of its industries and other points of interest 
to the commercial and industrial world and to all 
those who are interested in the development of the 
great continent of the future. If I have not suc- 
ceeded in adequately fulfilling that intention, my 
failure must be attributed to faults of the head 
rather than of the heart, it being my most fervent 
desire to contribute, to the best of my ability, to 



xxxii THE TWO AMERICAS 

the dawn of an era of peace and contentment in 
every corner of the vast American Continent. 

Finally I dedicate this modest effort to my own 
country, Colombia, in the hope that, by making better 
known the extent of her resources, the justice of her 
laws, and the enterprise of her people, immigration 
and foreign capital will be attracted to her shores. 
Colombia is a new land of promise, possessing all 
the natural and moral forces of the sister-Republics. 
She hides vast treasures in her soil and has borne 
many illustrious sons whose fame has spread far 
beyond her borders. My long years of service to 
my country have filled me with the hope and the 
confident belief that, after having passed through 
the fire of so many fratricidal wars, now definitely 
ended; after having valiantly suffered, in silence, 
unceasing troubles and unhealed wounds, yet 
marching, with firm and steady step, on the road 
of progress, there will soon wave in Colombia's 
serene sky, radiant with the light of pure ideals, 
the banner of peace and prosperity. 

Rafael Reyes 

November, 1913. 



THE TWO AMERICAS 



THE TWO AMERICAS 

CHAPTER I 

MY VISIT TO EUROPE 

The Iberian Peninsula 

¥ N the preceding introduction I referred to the 
movement now taking place in some of the 
Latin countries of Europe, with the object of pre- 
serving the ideals and interests of our race. More 
than a year ago, I commenced the tour which forms 
the subject of this work by a visit to Madrid and 
other Spanish cities, where I found, among the 
people, strikingly similar characteristics to those 
presented by the nations of Latin-America. In 
passing over the Spanish frontier I was able to 
appreciate the warmth and generosity of the people 
and to observe that Ibero-Americans visiting the 
country were made to feel that they were members 
of a family who had returned after a long absence. 
Hearing the sonorous and beautiful Castilian lan- 
guage, seeing the same types as those to which we 
are accustomed in Latin-America, and receiving 
courteous replies to inquiries, I have heard them 

1 



2 THE TWO AMERICAS 

exclaim, with enthusiasm, "We are in our own 
country! We are in our own house!" This affec- 
tionate welcome of Latin- Americans is in evidence 
throughout Spain, from the cottage of the shepherd 
to the palaces of the nobles and even of the King. 
Where one feels this most is in the cultured city 
of Madrid. The stranger who asks his way in the 
street receives a polite reply and is frequently ac- 
companied to his destination with an acknowledg- 
ment of his thanks by the customary Spanish bless- 
ing. Nor is it alone to the descendants of the an- 
cient families, whose forefathers dominated the 
world, that this hospitality is extended. It is offered 
to every stranger in the land, through all the grades 
of class. 

I was particularly struck by two incidents which 
occurred during my visit to Spain and I record 
them here by way of illustrating the instinctive 
dignity and high-mindedness of the Spanish char- 
acter, which are reflected throughout Ibero- America. 
Accompanied by my son, Eafael, on a very wet and 
cold day in the month of November, I arrived, by 
automobile, at the small town of Cuellar, where the 
house in which Don Pedro the Cruel once lived is 
located. We had travelled a long distance without 
taking food and observing a gentleman walking 
toward us we stopped and asked him where we could 
obtain some refreshment. He replied, "In this 
place there is no inn for a gentleman of your quality, 



IBERIAN PENINSULA 3 

but, as no stranger is permitted to pass through our 
village without receiving its hospitality, I take 
pleasure in offering you my house." I gladly ac- 
cepted the invitation and, following him, entered an 
antiquated and humble hostelry, which, in all its 
surroundings, recalled memories of Cervantes. 
Ascending a narrow and almost perpendicular 
wooden staircase, we were ushered into a large 
apartment divided by a chintz curtain of many colors, 
which apparently served to convert the room, ac- 
cording to necessity, into parlor, dining and sleep- 
ing quarters. The proprietor of the house, Don 
Leocadio Suarez, who was Alcalde (Mayor) of 
Cuellar, called his wife to whom he presented us, 
saying, ' ' These gentlemen have not lunched. Please 
prepare the best we can give them as soon as pos- 
sible. ' ' We were later served with an excellent and 
abundant meal, afterwards departing in the com- 
pany of Don Leocadio, who recounted to us his life 's 
history and explained how, by scrupulous economy, 
he had been able to educate his son for the pro- 
fession of engineer at the Escorial School, to whom 
he begged I would pay a visit on my return to 
Madrid, which I consented to do. I was at some 
trouble to ask my hospitable host, without wounding 
his dignity, how I could pay him for the lunch. 
Finally I said, "Don Leocadio, I wish to ask you a 
favor. Tell me, please, what I am indebted to you 
for the excellent meal you provided for us V ' ' ' Sir, ' ' 



4 THE TWO AMERICAS 

he replied, "I am the debtor in this case and not 
you, since you have permitted me to extend my 
humble hospitality." I thanked him and left with 
his promise that he would lunch with me at the 
Ritz in Madrid upon his next visit to the Capital. 

Continuing our ride until late in the afternoon, 
through the cold rain and piercing wind, we arrived 
at the extreme end of the high road, where we saw 
a man violently waving his arms as a signal to us 
to stop. We did so, when the man quietly ap- 
proached our automobile. He was evidently of the 
laboring class and his tattered garments were cov- 
ered by a shabby and much-worn cloak. He saluted 
us with much dignity, saying, "You will understand 
that it is very disagreeable for me to detain you 
in this weather and at this hour, but, unfortunately, 
since yesterday morning at eight o'clock, when I 
partook of only a small quantity of food, I have 
been unable to obtain anything more to eat. I am 
a laboring man, but I have no work as the autumn 
crops are not yet ready for harvesting. You, who 
must be a rich man, can you not give me a few 
centimos wherewith to purchase some food?" I 
was much touched by the man's obviously honest 
statement and said, "You are perfectly right to 
stop us and ask for help. Men must help each 
other and in your case I am glad to be of service, 
as to-morrow I might find myself in the same un- 
happy position as that in which you are to-day." 



IBERIAN PENINSULA 5 

I then placed a dollar in his hand which he promptly 
returned to me, adding, "I did not ask yon for so 
much. Please keep the dollar and give me a few 
centimos which will suffice for all my needs. ' ' This 
noble instinct appealed to me so forcibly that I could 
not resist shaking his hand and begging him to 
accept the dollar with the request that he would 
divide what he did not require with his companions 
in distress. He then accepted the money, and, with 
tears in his eyes, saluted us and uttered the words, 
"May God preserve you." 

Notwithstanding its monarchical form of govern- 
ment, there is, in Spain, a true Christian democracy 
with an entire absence of the spirit of feudalism, 
which, even in the middle ages, was less pronounced 
there than in other countries of Europe, probably 
for the reason that the nobles were at that period 
frequently engaged with the plebeians in defending 
the national soil against its invaders, the Phoeni- 
cians, the Eomans, the Barbs from the north, the 
Moors, and, in earlier days, the French. This nation- 
wide democracy is accompanied by the individual 
dignity of all classes. It is to be seen in the rela- 
tions of the people throughout the social scale. It 
is to be found in the body politic in which, even 
among the most extreme and impassioned partisans, 
cordial social relations are maintained; and it is 
even more in evidence at moments of grave national 
crises or when foreign notabilities are paying offi- 



6 THE TWO AMERICAS 

cial visits to the country. This trait may also be 
observed in the courtesy which surrounds all the 
great debates in the Cortes, where there are rarely, 
if ever, scenes or scandals such as are frequently 
witnessed in other Parliaments. The vocabulary 
itself illustrates how this admirable inborn senti- 
ment elevates and dignifies in the maintenance of 
equality while it does not belittle or lower the 
humbler classes. The noble and wealthy Spaniard 
treats his dependents, his tenants and his servants 
with almost paternal care and affection; and it is 
these patriarchal customs which produce respect 
for the higher classes, not only in the Iberian Penin- 
sula, but in all the Ibero- American countries. It is 
not alone in these characteristics that the identity 
of racial conditions among the great majority of 
Latin nations is established. Travelling through 
Spain one constantly meets the same physical types 
as are to be found in all the Latin countries of 
America, even after many generations. They bear 
the same names, exhibit the same conditions and 
have the same habits of thought. "What wonder 
then that there should be a desire to strengthen 
the bonds of unity and to maintain the worthy ideals 
of all the descendants of the heroes who discovered 
and conquered the new world, armed only with the 
sword, the Cross, and the indomitable courage of 
their race? 

In the new countries Spanish dominion has dis- 



IBERIAN PENINSULA 7 

appeared but the soul of the Iberian is ever pres- 
ent, and there is an unfading memory of the influ- 
ence exercised by the Catholic Church, in Spain, 
over the destinies of a great part of the new world. 
When the great Genoese navigator, Christopher 
Columbus, appeared before the ecclesiastical author- 
ities at Salamanca to expound his geographical 
theory, such was the omniscience of those learned 
friars that, in dissenting from the plans of Colum- 
bus, they said, "We do not believe that you will 
succeed in reaching the oriental coasts of India, al- 
though we have faith in your idea of discovery of 
the Atlantic, where there must be a vast extent of 
land, interposed by Divine Providence, between 
Europe and the limits you are seeking; but it does 
not appear possible to us that the Atlantic and 
Pacific waters form the same ocean under differ- 
ent names." In short, those wise ecclesiasts had an 
intuitive knowledge, even greater than that of Co- 
lumbus, as to the extent of the two continents, 
which, to pay honor to the memory of Amerigo 
Vespucci, who solved the problem, were ultimately 
called America. It was the Church, in the time of 
the Catholic Kings, which really reigned, with an 
intellectual and moral energy more exuberant than 
the virgin forests of America, throughout the golden 
century of Spain. Its great leaders regarded the 
Spanish character as superior to that of the Spar- 
tan — robust, virile, noble, generous and brave. They 



8 THE TWO AMERICAS 

gave impetus to the chivalrous sentiments of that 
potent race of heroes, of scholars, of saints and 
warriors whose records are almost legendary; and 
they gave encouragement to the adventurous nobles 
and plebeians of stout heart and of iron will, who, 
in poor wooden barks, journeyed forth to double the 
earth and encircle the globe, thus opening, across 
the Atlantic, new skies and new territories, where 
the rivers are seas and the land another world 
illuminated by heavenly bodies never dreamed of by 
Galileo. It was these great Catholics who inspired 
the discovery of a new world and dedicated it to 
God as an altar and a throne. It was a friar, Las 
Casas, who inspired the paternal laws of India in 
order that the Spaniards, by the transfusion of their 
blood, of their life, and of their faith, might implant 
a civilization entirely distinct from that followed by 
other conquering nations, who, in their acts of con- 
quest, enslaved and destroyed races. It is due to the 
influence of the Church that the LatinAmerican 
women of to-day are the heroic and careful guar- 
dians of all those virtues which model and form the 
home and reflect upon their sons, their husbands, 
their brothers and their fathers. 

There has been established in Madrid, under the 
auspices of the Spanish Government and the vari- 
ous Chambers of Commerce throughout the country, 
the Ibero-American Union, in which all the Latin 
nations will participate and contribute a propor- 



IBERIAN PENINSULA 9 

tionate share of the cost of maintenance, as is done 
with the Pan-American Union at Washington. The 
objects of this proposed institution are to foment 
the commercial and friendly relations of the Pe- 
ninsula with Ibero-America, and to promote travel 
from and to the southern Republics, so that the 
people of the new world may become better ac- 
quainted with the vast treasures of art, history and 
of natural beauty possessed by the Latin countries 
of Europe ; and that the people of the old world may 
see the progress of the Latin countries of America 
and their splendid cities which are equal to any 
of the great European Capitals. At the present 
time this movement is flowing freely and sponta- 
neously from the frontiers of those nations and is 
reechoed in their mountains and valleys and across 
the ocean until it reaches the Peninsula where the 
same feelings prevail toward the people of the 
Latin Republics. 

The same spirit is to be found in Portugal, whose 
energetic sons, worthy compatriots of Vasco da 
Gama, Albuquerque, Alva Cabral, Magellanes and 
others, possess the same noble characteristics as 
distinguish the Brazilians, who, in the most remote 
Amazonian forests, have bravely struggled, not 
only with primitive nature, but also with the savage 
inhabitants of those regions. From the end of the 
fifteenth century and later, the Portuguese conquis- 
tadores helped to establish western civilization in 



10 THE TWO AMERICAS 

the plains of Tolosa and Lepanto and implanted 
their high qualities in Asia, in Africa and in Europe. 
When I inaugurated the first steamship service on 
the River Putumayo, I was accompanied by a dis- 
tinguished Portuguese, Captain Francisco Antonio 
Visau, who assisted me to extend the geographical 
map of that river. 

In Portugal I also saw men and women of fair 
complexion, tall, strong, of the Germanic type, de- 
scendants of the Vandals and Visigoths ; and many 
of dark complexion, with spare frames and nervous 
temperaments, descendants of the Arabs and the 
Moors. In studying the characteristics of these 
people, which are in many respects identical with 
those of the Spaniards and the people of Spanish- 
America, I recognized the truth and the justice of 
Mr. Theodore Roosevelt's declaration that the 
Iberian people ''had been humane conquerors and 
colonizers who had given their blood, their language, 
their religion, and their energies, to the twenty 
nations of Latin- America, while the Saxons had de- 
stroyed the red Indians of the northern part of the 
continent. ' ' 



CHAPTER II 

MY VISIT TO EUKOPE (CONTINUED) 

In Paris 

/^N my arrival in Paris I was accorded a cor- 
^-^ dial reception by the diplomatic representa- 
tives of Latin-America, the Ambassador of Spain, 
the Franco-American Committee, whose President 
is Mr. Gabriel Hanotaux, and various other Ibero- 
American notabilities, to whom I communicated the 
objects of my then proposed tour. The Franco- 
American Committee conferred upon me the priv- 
ilege of honorary membership and at one of its Con- 
ferences to which I was specially invited, the Presi- 
dent of the Latin Section, M. Fran§ois Carnot, son of 
the late President of the French Republic, welcomed 
me and the purposes of my mission in most flatter- 
ing terms; whilst it afforded me the deepest satis- 
faction to hear from its President that the Franco- 
American Committee had decided to associate itself 
with the Ibero- American Union of Madrid and with 
other institutions having kindred objects in Latin- 
America, in order to unite the forces organized in 
favor of the interests of the Latin race, of civiliza- 
tion and justice, and of the well-being of humanity. 

11 



12 THE TWO AMERICAS 

Shortly after this Conference I organized a func- 
tion at the Hotel Majestic, Paris, where there assem- 
bled a number of prominent men of Latin- America 
and Latin-Europe, to express their approval of my 
efforts to promote closer relations among all the 
people of our race ; and, in order to demonstrate the 
strength of that movement, in circles embracing the 
leaders of thought in the Latin countries of both 
continents, I feel that no excuse is necessary for the 
reproduction here of a report of the proceedings at 
that gathering, which I have taken from the columns 
of the Revista Mundial: 

"At the Hotel Majestic, in Paris, General E. 
Reyes, ex-President of the Republic of Colombia, a 
stout defender of the interests of Latin- Americans, 
who has devoted a great part of his life to the fields 
of exploration and diplomacy, invited a select group 
of Latin-Americans to a luncheon for the purpose 
of stimulating the work of sustaining the predomi- 
nance of the Latin element in the southern countries 
of the American Continent. The salon in which this 
assemblage of the Latin- American family gathered 
was decorated with taste and beauty appropriate 
to the Capital of the Arts. Flowers of all colors, 
roses, chrysanthemums, smilax and orchids, were 
in pleasing contrast to the whiteness of the linen, 
while the luxuriant fruits and the flags of all the 
American Republics mixed their colors in fraternal 



IN PARIS 13 

embrace. There were many distinguished members 
of the Latin race among the guests, as may be seen 
from the following list: M. Paul Doumer, former 
President of the French Chamber of Deputies; M. 
Francois Carnot, President of the Latin Section of 
the Franco- American Committee; Senor Perez 
Caballero, the Spanish Ambassador; Euben Dario; 
the ex-Presidents of Mexico and Peru, Generals 
Diaz and Pardo; Gomez Carrillo, the well-known 
author and chronicler ; and many other distinguished 
guests, including Prince Poland Bonaparte, Gabriel 
Hanotaux, Puga Borme, Rodriguez Larreta, Manini 
Eios, Alfredo and Armando Guido, Limatour Monez, 
etc., etc. There were three tables, presided over, 
respectively, by General Eeyes, M. Doumer, and M. 
Carnot. General Reyes had, on his right, General 
Porfirio Diaz ; and on his left, the Minister of Chile. 
On the right of M. Doumer was the Ambassador of 
Spain and the Minister of Costa Rica on his left; 
and 6n the right and left of M. Carnot sat the ex- 
President of Peru and Sehor Carlos Concha. At the 
conclusion of the luncheon General Reyes delivered 
the following address : 

" 'M. Carnot, President of the Latin Section of the 
Franco-American Committee, and Gentlemen: 

" 'Having already been received by the Franco- 
American Committee, so ably presided over by M. 
Hanotaux, whose absence to-day I deeply regret, 



14 THE TWO AMERICAS 

I take great pleasure in welcoming many of you 
who were present on that occasion and the many 
other eminent men of Europe and Ibero-America 
who have honored me by accepting my invitation to 
this function. 

" 'In treating of the Latin Eepublics I desire to 
repeat what I said at my reception by the Franco- 
American Committee, namely, that I consider the 
future of humanity of the twentieth century to be in 
Latin America. It is possible to-day to say that 
we have entered with a firm step upon the posses- 
sion of that future to repeat in the South what 
occurred during the last century in the North; and 
to prove the correctness of Humboldt's prognosti- 
cations made a hundred years ago. 

" 'At the time that Stanley, tracing the footsteps 
of Livingstone, was exploring Equatorial Africa, I 
and my brothers, who forfeited their lives during 
our Amazonic explorations, were likewise exploring 
the interior of South America from the Pacific to 
the Atlantic. In the virgin forests and deserts 
which we then traversed there have risen up, at 
many points, centers of industrial activity, counting, 
in some cases, tens and hundreds of thousands of 
inhabitants ; and in the rivers, of the magnitude of 
seas, at that time crossed by the canoes of the sav- 
ages, there is an immense stream of steam naviga- 
tion. To justify my suggestion of these rivers 
being like seas I need only mention that many of 



IN PARIS 15 

the trans-Atlantic liners ascend the Amazon River 
for five thousand kilometers into the interior of the 
continent, where, from Para to Iquitos and in the 
affluents of that great river, they can connect with 
the Orinoco and the River Plate, thus rendering it 
possible to traverse by large and modern steamships 
20,000 kilometers of waterways, and, by connection 
with railways already constructed and under con- 
struction, ultimately to have direct communication 
with all the countries of South America. "What, in 
my time, were small towns are to-day populous and 
flourishing cities with populations far exceeding the 
million mark, such as Buenos Aires and Rio de 
Janeiro. Their commerce, which then was counted 
by tens of millions of francs, may be reckoned, at 
the present time, by thousands of millions; and 
lands, rural and urban, then of insignificant value, 
have not only enormously increased in price, but 
have become a source of highly profitable invest- 
ment for European capital. In the intervening 
period the population of Latin- America has multi- 
plied fourfold, embracing vigorous specimens of our 
race who will preserve and extend our elevated 
ideals. 

" 'We who are the descendants of this second gen- 
eration of Iberians are regarded in the Peninsula as 
of the people themselves and, if any favor is shown, 
it takes the form of giving us the place of honor. 
All the Latin Republics, forming twenty independent 



16 THE TWO AMERICAS 

nations, are striving to secure harmony of thought 
in our portion of the continent and we are struggling 
with the Saxon race, which predominates in the 
northern part of the continent, in the effort to estab- 
lish justice and right. To this end the Latin coun- 
tries of America need the hearty cooperation of 
their brothers in Europe, the prospect of which 
is rendered so hopeful by the presence here to-day 
of so many leading lights of Latin-Europe. To 
extend still further these objects the international 
and commercial legislation of the southern continent 
must be so guided and changed to meet the exigen- 
cies of the hour as to secure the utmost freedom 
and protection for the immigrants, the capital, and 
the industries of foreign countries without the 
difficulties and impediments which have arisen in 
earlier days. The smaller countries regard with 
satisfaction and pride the marvellous growth of Ar- 
gentina, Brazil and Chile; and they are exerting 
every effort to enjoy similar progress under the 
shadow of peace, justice and right. ' 

' ' Speeches embodying similar sentiments were de- 
livered by several gentlemen present, the following 
notable address having been made by Senor Perez 
Caballero, the Spanish Ambassador : 

" 'Gentlemen: After the eloquent words which 
have been uttered by General Eeyes, the ex-Presi- 



IN PARIS 17 

dent of the Republic of Colombia, it is in- 
cumbent upon me — and I accept the task with 
pleasure — as Spanish Ambassador, to express 
my sincere appreciation of his kindly refer- 
ences to my country and its people. I do 
this, Gentlemen, with the deepest gratitude and 
from the depths of my heart I ask you to join me 
in drinking to a triple toast to the honor of France, 
the Ibero-American countries, and to my own be- 
loved Spain. 

" 'In a recent discussion in the Spanish Parliament 
on the Spanish-French treaty regarding Morocco, 
many disparaging references were made to the col- 
onizing qualities of the Spanish people, but the best 
answer I have yet heard to those unjust suggestions 
is embodied in the declarations of General Eeyes 
in the brilliant speech delivered by him to-day. 
When a country has given to hitherto unknown dis- 
tant regions the spirit of its race, its religion and 
its language, and, after a hundred years of inde- 
pendent existence, the new nationality retains for 
the mother-country the affection revealed by Gen- 
eral Reyes in his description of the Ibero-American 
people, it demonstrates the purity of character that 
springs from the mother-land and constitutes proof 
of the colonizing qualities of her sons. 

" 'Two years ago I had the honor to accompany 
to Buenos Aires the illustrious Princess Isabella, 
when I was privileged to participate in the centen- 



18 THE TWO AMERICAS 

nial celebration of Argentine independence. The 
Argentine Kepublic was the first to separate herself 
from the mother-country, but, representing Spain, 
I shared the nation's delight in the triumph of her 
children and experienced exceptional pleasure in 
crossing the seas to commemorate the magic awak- 
ening of the Ibero-American continent. On that 
solemn occasion I raised my voice to salute those 
new and already vigorous nations. Grow, I said, 
free nations, sovereign and independent, in Spanish 
America. Advance without discord or discourage- 
ment in the infinite path of progress; imbibe and 
arouse into action our words; make our personal- 
ities greater in history and maintain with vigor the 
authority and the power of the Latin race to which, 
in common, we pertain. I would remind you that 
if your great and deserved prosperity is due to the 
tenacity of your inhabitants, to your free political 
institutions and to your wise legislation, as well as 
to the fertility of your soil and to the wealth of its 
contents, you cannot and surely will not forget that 
a great part of your progress is due to the powerful 
immigration from across the Atlantic and especially 
from the Latin countries. The French, Italians and 
Spanish intermingled with the South Americans 
have produced and will continue to produce verita- 
ble miracles in those countries where nature shows 
such prodigality. 

" 'It is little short of marvellous that without the 



IN PARIS 19 

spirit of exclusiveness, which would be absurd, and 
still less with hatred, which would be infamous, the 
Latins of our race have made us proud. It is cer- 
tain that the progress already made is the result 
of concord among all the races, but this does not 
exclude the closer ties of the affinities such as the 
sacred love for the fatherland which fortifies, 
rather than excludes, the affection and the tender 
love for the family. It is very natural that the 
Latins have impelled our admiration of the immense 
scenario of Spanish-America, and when we see it 
grow in power and prosperity day by day we ex- 
perience a real pleasure. It is also only natural 
that the Ibero-American countries look to incom- 
parable France to aid them in their progressive 
growth, that great France which is the elder sister, 
the first, the mother of modern Latinity. 

' ' ' General Eeyes has pointed to the necessity for 
the Latin countries to have the support of their 
sisters in Europe. I am in complete accord with 
that view. It is a fundamental truth and so far as 
it relates to Spain and France I congratulate my- 
self on being able to say that never has the union 
been closer or more based on the principles of jus- 
tice. The necessity for close friendship between 
the older countries striving to implant civilization 
of a modern type in places unaccustomed to western 
thought and ideas, has been shown more than ever 
by the friendship of France and Spain in Morocco ; 



20 THE TWO AMERICAS 

and this union of the two Latin races in the exten- 
sion of their civilizing forces in the north of Africa 
will doubtless reverberate throughout Latin-Amer- 
ica. The Latins of Europe united with those of 
America exercise a powerful force and their decisive 
influence will serve as a stimulant to the progress 
of the entire human race. 

" ' Gentlemen, I raise my glass in honor of our 
illustrious host, General Eeyes, and as this reunion 
is largely dedicated to the objects of the Franco- 
American Committee, allow me also to drink pros- 
perity to Spain's neighboring sister, France, and to 
her distant daughter, America.' " 



CHAPTER III 

IN" THE UNITED STATES 

T EAVINGr Cherbourg on the steamship Kaiser 
*~* WilJielm II I arrived in New York, where my 
proposed tour of Latin- America and its objects had 
already created considerable interest. 

Despite the great flow and heterogeneous charac- 
ter of the immigration to the United States during 
the last sixty or seventy years, it is easy to observe 
that the dominant features of the national charac- 
ter are the qualities of the Saxons and the Teutons 
— dignity, justice, labor, and the strenuous desire 
for progress. It is, in fact, the elevated civic virtues 
of such men as Washington, Franklin, . and others, 
that formed the foundation upon which the great 
American edifice has been built up. In these con- 
ditions there will also be found the explanation of 
the great love of the land of their adoption, which 
makes good citizens, not only of the children of 
immigrants, but of the immigrants themselves, as 
is also the case in Argentina, Chile, Brazil, and other 
new countries, where the private and public virtues 
of the founders of those nations constitute the basic 
formation of character. 

21 



22 THE TWO AMERICAS 

I have known the United States since 1872 and 
have visited it many times while in the service of 
my country. I dealt officially with its Government, 
in Panama in 1885, and in Washington in 1903, to 
sustain the rights of Colombia in relation to Pan- 
ama. I educated my sons in the United States and 
after ten years which elapsed since my former visit 
I found changes and progress which profoundly 
impressed me. I noticed with particular satisfaction 
that the genuine American sentiment of to-day is to 
combat the supremacy of the powerful dollar and to 
maintain the predominance of just ideals. I was 
likewise able to appreciate that in the United States 
public opinion is supreme, and, although it may 
occasionally be diverted into a wrong direction, it 
will ultimately find truth and justice. Of the forces, 
of the vigor and life that move and palpitate with 
so much activity, the currents which resist the rule 
of Mammon form the great base of the American 
structure. 

Modern history has furnished no vaster, more 
varied or more complex field for the study of sociol- 
ogy, of industry, and of all that concerns human 
progress, than the United States. Founded by 
English colonists of intellectual force and high 
moral character who sought its shores to obtain 
religious and political liberty, by fearless Dutch 
navigators, the founders of New Amsterdam, be- 
longing to the first families of Holland, like that 



IN THE UNITED STATES 23 

of Van Cortland, who have preserved through cen- 
turies their distinguishing qualities and character- 
istics, and by Irish Catholics who brought to the 
virgin soil of America healthy and advanced ideas, 
there is little occasion for surprise in the fact that 
freedom and independence are the guiding princi- 
ples of the American people. 

Unfortunately, as a consequence of the great ex- 
pansion which has taken place in the financial and 
commercial relations of the United States with the 
Latin-American Eepublics, during latter years, 
these excellent principles have been supplanted by 
the enthronement, in certain influential quarters, of 
what has become known as "dollar diplomacy"; 
and although this new and sordid method of regu- 
lating international relations does not find favor 
with the great mass of enlightened American citi- 
zens, who have a due regard for the national honor, 
it is necessary to arrest its growth in the interest 
of the entire continent. It is by the exercise of a 
patriotic spirit, by the possession of vast natural 
wealth, and by the liberty-loving character of its 
people that the United States has attained its great 
position among the nations of the world and has 
developed its huge resources, represented by its 
hundred millions of inhabitants, its three million 
square miles of territory, its three hundred thou- 
sand miles of railroads, and its wonderful indus- 
trial and commercial advance. For the fulfilment of 



24 THE TWO AMERICAS 

their worthy aspirations, based on solid pretensions, 
and for an adequate development of their national 
resources the people of Latin-America, therefore, 
desire the sympathy and cooperation of those of the 
United States. 

Many of these Latin nations committed an error 
in establishing, for their government, the institu- 
tions and laws of the United States before prepar- 
ing or educating their people to understand and use 
them for their own benefit. The sorrowful experi- 
ences of many of the Latin Eepublics lead to the re- 
flection that the laws and constitution of every na- 
tion should be in keeping with its education, its 
customs, and its necessities, history having shown 
that the application of advanced laws and institu- 
tions to youthful nations still struggling for their 
emancipation is calculated to produce negative re- 
sults, to convert liberty into license, and to make 
democracy a tyranny of the ignorant. Happily, this 
dearly acquired knowledge has led some of these 
countries to see where their true interests lie, and 
many of them, as a result, are now in the enjoyment 
of advanced systems of government equal to those of 
the most progressive countries of the world. It may 
therefore be assumed that these sad lessons, already 
bearing fruit, will at no distant date finally close 
the period of civil wars and fraternal struggles of 
all the Latin- American people and so assure their 
complete independence and future prosperity. 



IN THE UNITED STATES 25 

As stated in the opening lines of this chapter, I 
was able during my stay in the United States to 
judge the real trend of representative American 
opinion in regard to the southern Republics, by the 
increasing interest of many public bodies and indi- 
vidual leaders of thought, in the enterprise I had 
entered upon on my own initiative and at my own 
expense. It was to me a source of great pleasure to 
hear the many expressions of encouragement for 
American unity in the speeches delivered by promi- 
nent American citizens at the numerous functions at 
which I was entertained, and, to emphasize the au- 
thoritative sanction of my mission, I would make 
special reference to a luncheon given to me, in New 
York, by the Pan-American Society of the United 
States. A number of influential citizens attended 
the gathering and several interesting addresses were 
delivered, but the most important of all, from the 
point of view of interpreting educated American 
opinion on the position of the Latin-American Re- 
publics, was the speech made by Mr. Frederic 
Brown, the Treasurer and Secretary of the Society, 
who said : 

"The United States would appear to have so few 
friends among the most prominent men of Latin- 
America that our satisfaction is enhanced by this 
opportunity of giving a welcome to General Reyes 
on the eve of his departure on a mission of the 



26 THE TWO AMERICAS 

highest importance for the cause of true Pan- 
Americanism. 

"I heard General Reyes speak for the first time 
some years ago when I was in Mexico, where he 
has left behind him a grateful memory of his friend- 
ship for the Americans. There are seated at this 
table men who have lived and labored in Colombia, 
when he was its President, and they are likewise 
able to say that all the words and deeds of General 
Eeyes showed a sincere friendship for this country. 
The Hon. John Barrett, Director-General of the 
Pan-American Union, who formerly occupied the po- 
sition of American Minister to Colombia, considers 
General Reyes as one of the best friends of the 
United States in Latin-America. It is therefore 
exceptionally fortunate that in furtherance of the 
objects of this Society we have the opportunity of 
wishing General Reyes the fullest success for his 
visit to Hispano-America, whither he proceeds on a 
labor of love without ulterior motives or ambitions. 

"We in the United States are true friends of 
Latin-America and we desire to aid the forces and 
influence of General Reyes in convincing our friends 
of the South that we are animated by the most sin- 
cere desire to assist in the aggrandizement of a race 
which embodies the highest type of civilization. We 
cannot oppose the legitimate object of the Latin- 
Americans to perpetuate their inheritance and to 
establish a Latin civilization. A race that has pro- 




Photograph by Paul Thompson 

DR. BELISARIO PORRAS, THE PRESIDENT OF PANAMA 



IN THE UNITED STATES 27 

duced writers like Dario, financiers like Limantour, 
philosophers like Hostos, and international lawyers 
like Drago ; a race which owes its independent exist- 
ence to heroes like San Martin and Bolivar — a bril- 
liant combination of the qualities of Washington and 
Napoleon — one may be sure will always find its 
proper destination. I desire that General Eeyes 
may be enabled to assure the people of Latin- Amer- 
ica of the existence of the profound and durable 
friendship which is entertained throughout the 
United States toward them." 

A few days later a banquet was given in my honor 
by the Pan-American Association, of which, with 
Cardinal Farley, I was made an Honorary Vice- 
President. Among the speakers on that occasion 
was Dr. Phanor Eder, a distinguished lawyer and 
the author of a recent book on Colombia which will 
doubtless become a standard work of reference. 
After some personal references Dr. Eder spoke as 
follows : 

"We have assembled here in the name of Pan- 
Americanism to wish success to General Eeyes in 
the important mission he has undertaken. The 
meaning of the expression, Pan- Americanism, is va- 
riously interpreted according to point of view. In 
certain parts of Latin-America it is thought that 
Pan- Americanism from the North American view- 



28 THE TWO AMERICAS 

point signifies ' America for the North Americans.' 
We, as members of the Pan-American Association, 
know that such an interpretation is incorrect. Still, 
considerable vagueness surrounds the term Pan- 
Americanism. Of the Gods of the ancient Greek 
and Eoman mythology I have always been able to 
form definite ideas as to Jupiter, Neptune, Minerva, 
Venus and others, but I must confess, and I have no 
doubt that many of you are like me in that respect, 
that I have never been able to define with precision 
who was the great God Pan, when he existed, or 
where and why. In the same manner, Pan- Ameri- 
canism seems to be clouded with similar obscurity 
to the personality of the God Pan. But of all the 
ideas and ideals of Pan- Americanism the most real 
and the most practical seems to me to be that which 
General Eeyes is demonstrating in the fulfilment of 
his present mission. So, as he was the first to 
enable the countries of South America to be joined 
by steam navigation through her natural waterways, 
will he be a pioneer in the great movement to its 
spiritual and moral awakening. The object of his 
mission, as I understand it, is to bind the countries 
of Latin- America with closer bonds of friendship, 
to spread the propaganda of self-respect and to raise 
the ideals of Latin- American civilization in such a 
manner that, united with the great and powerful 
Anglo-Saxon civilization of North America, the goal 



IN THE UNITED STATES 29 

of "America for humanity" may be speedily 
reached. ' ' 

The term "Pan- Americanism," so admirably in- 
terpreted by Dr. Eder, is no new theory or doctrine. 
It is merely the embodiment of the fraternal ties of 
international life. Although of different origin, the 
people of the two Americas have labored in their 
respective fields for the development of human hap- 
piness. Their interests and advancement are of 
mutual advantage, and it is only necessary to respect 
each other to inspire the respect of others and to 
create a united America which shall dominate the 
world in the arts of peace and in all those civilizing 
influences which make for universal good. When 
Pan- Americanism is sufficiently developed and un- 
derstood to be the ultimate expression of good will 
and of friendly relations among all the nations of 
America, designed to destroy the selfish purpose of 
imperialism, it will secure millions of new adherents 
who will enforce its principles and bring to prac- 
tical realization the objects and desires of true 
Americans in every part of the continent. The 
achievement of that object will fail of accomplish- 
ment so long as the prevailing misunderstandings 
and doubts exist; but that it is within measurable 
distance of being reached is demonstrated by the 
unselfish efforts now being made in that direction by 



30 THE TWO AMERICAS 

men of light and leading both in the Latin Republics 
and in the United States. 

The creation of the Pan-American Union and of 
its offshoot, the Pan-American Society of the United 
States, has been abundantly justified by the wide 
appreciation and universal recognition of the value 
of their achievements in the practical spread of the 
good doctrine. The Pan-American Congresses, 
which have from time to time assembled in the lead- 
ing capitals of the Continent, have contributed to a 
better understanding amongst the various nations; 
but, whilst the excellent results derived from their 
deliberations in regard to matters pertaining to in- 
ternational questions have been shown in many di- 
rections, the character of the discussions and the 
technical nature of the subjects treated, necessarily 
operated to prevent their publication, in detail, in 
the ordinary channels of public information. It is 
therefore with profound satisfaction that I place on 
record the occurrence during the past year of an 
event which will be of signal importance in the dis- 
semination of useful knowledge concerning the 
Latin-American countries and their relations with 
the United States. 

I refer to the Conference on Latin-America re- 
cently organized by the Clark University of Worces- 
ter, Massachusetts, under the direction of Dr. 
George H. Blakeslee, Professor of History at that 
seat of learning; and I do not hesitate to say that 



IN THE UNITED STATES 31 

no gathering of a similar kind has ever excelled, 
either in the quality of the speakers or in the value 
of the knowledge imparted, the Clark University- 
Conference on Latin- America. Those who took part 
in the proceedings included some of the most emi- 
nent authorities in the United States, embracing 
diplomats of high rank of both divisions of the Con- 
tinent ; Professors of History and International Law 
of Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Johns Hopkins and 
other universities; noted authors of works relating 
to Latin- America ; prominent journalists of North 
and South America; and leading men representing 
vast financial and industrial interests. Needless to 
say, that the discussions of the many subjects of 
importance embodied in the programme were of the 
most illuminating character; and to such an extent 
was this recognized that hardly a newspaper in the 
United States failed to report, or to refer favorably 
to the Conference. That function marks a red-letter 
day in the propagation of Pan-Americanism, not 
only by arousing increased public and press interest 
in matters which affect the future of the whole Con- 
tinent, but by creating a precedent which, as time 
goes on, will be established by other leading educa- 
tional institutions in every part of America. The 
Clark University, which initiated these Conferences 
in 1911, though possessing a smaller endowment 
than most of the great American Universities, is by 
no means inferior in intellectual equipment to the 



82 THE TWO AMERICAS 

highest amongst them ; and to its distinguished Presi- 
dent, Dr. Gr. Stanley Hall, who was a Harvard Pro- 
fessor as far back as forty years ago; and to Dr. 
George H. Blakeslee, who so ably organized and con- 
ducted the Conference, and whose academic suc- 
cesses at the Universities of Harvard, Oxford, Ber- 
lin and Leipzig abundantly testify to his great eru- 
dition, a deep debt of gratitude is due for the emi- 
nent services thus rendered to the cause of inter- 
American union and friendship. 

In dealing with the present situation of Pan- 
Americanism and those who have contributed to its 
steady advance, it would be manifestly unjust to 
omit reference to that great man, Senator Elihu 
Boot, who has done so much to strengthen the 
friendly relations of the Latin countries with the 
United States. As Secretary of State, he tem- 
porarily separated himself from his urgent official 
duties to undertake an arduous journey through the 
Latin Republics of America, in order to remove the 
misconceptions and doubts which at that time were 
rife in the sister Eepublics ; and that his memorable 
trip was crowned with triumph is demonstrated by 
the fact that his name is venerated throughout 
South America, and that the friendship of the 
larger countries of that portion of the Continent 
for the United States has never before been so 
firmly established as at the present time. Nor is it 
alone in his public capacity that Senator Root has 



IN THE UNITED STATES 33 

earned the respect and admiration of all who are 
interested in the development of Pan-American 
Union. In his private character, amidst the most 
pressing calls on his time, he has counselled and as- 
sisted in every direction to aid the cause he has so 
much at heart ; and there are few of the many Latin- 
American students in the United States who are not 
indebted to him for friendly advice and help given 
at a time when every moment was of great value. 

Another distinguished figure in the movement to 
cement the friendly relations of all the American 
nations, is the Hon. John Barrett, the Director-Gen- 
eral of the Pan-American Union at Washington. 
That gentleman, who is known as the "Latin- Ameri- 
can Ambassador to the United States," occupies — 
with his able and distinguished coadjutor, Senor 
Francisco J. Yanes, Assistant-Director of the Pan- 
American Union — the unique position of represent- 
ing the whole of the twenty-one Eepublics of 
America; and it is largely due to his enthusiasm, 
ability and phenomenal activity that the institution 
which he so skillfully directs, has attained its present 
proportions and importance and constitutes so val- 
uable an adjunct to the State Department and to the 
governments of all of the American Eepublics. A 
more recent recruit to the ranks of ardent support- 
ers of the cause of Pan- Americanism is the present 
Secretary of State, Mr. William Jennings Bryan, 
who has not only made a personal tour of the prin- 



34 THE TWO AMERICAS 

cipal countries of South America, for the purpose of 
acquainting himself with actual conditions, but has 
availed himself of every suitable occasion to give 
expression to his sympathetic and friendly feelings 
toward the Latin countries and people ; and that he 
will carry his views into practice when the oppor- 
tunity arises, is a matter beyond doubt in the minds 
of those who have followed his many activities in 
private and public life. 

All these eminent public men are aware of the 
great services rendered to humanity by both races of 
Americans. If the discovery and conquest of the 
distant regions in the new world are due to the cour- 
age and enterprise of their original Spanish explor- 
ers, it is to the credit of the North Americans that 
those portions of the continent which for ages were 
ravaged by yellow fever and malaria have been ren- 
dered healthy and habitable; and, if in the United 
States there are altars to the golden calf, there are 
also altars dedicated to justice, charity, and respect 
for the rights of others. If in Latin America there 
has been attained a degree of civilization which has 
elicited the admiration of the world, there are also 
in the United States, that asylum of the disinherited, 
vast numbers of generous men possessing the ele- 
vated ideals of the founders of that great Republic ; 
and many of those, together with America's great 
captains of industry, are using their intelligence, 



IN THE UNITED STATES 35 

their energy and their fortunes in promoting the 
advance of education, science, industry and art. 

President Monroe proclaimed the doctrine of 
''America for the Americans," which surely implied 
that that eminent statesman included the Ibero- 
Americans as well as those of the north. The de- 
votees of modern imperialism in the United States 
appear to reject this view by their belief that the 
term "Americans" signifies only those born under 
the Stars and Stripes; and that they are the abso- 
lute owners of the two Americas, although, as I have 
already said, that spirit of mischievous exaggeration 
is, happily, confined to very narrow limits. At one 
of The Hague Conferences the present President of 
the Argentine Eepublic, Dr. Eoque Saenz Peiia, who 
was one of his country's delegates, suggested the 
substitution of "America for Humanity," in place 
of the formula enunciated by President Monroe, 
doubtless for the reason that a convenient misinter- 
pretation of the term "Americans" might lead to 
difficulties and ultimately to intervention in the in- 
ternal affairs of some of the smaller Eepublics. In- 
stances of this kind may be seen in the case of 
Central America during the epoch of the filibusters ; 
in Chile at the time of the scandal with American 
sailors; in Santo Domingo; and at the present day 
in Nicaragua, where United States troops are in 
control in the capital, Managua, under the pretext 
that they are there for the protection of American 



36 THE TWO AMERICAS 

citizens. Therefore as imperialism is always of the 
same character, whether applied to civilized people 
or to savages, whether it be exercised by a Eameses 
II over Egyptians, by an Alexander over Greeks, by 
a Napoleon over the French, or by jingoes of the 
United States over Latin-Americans, it is a neces- 
sity that the weaker nations should resist its en- 
croachment upon their domestic affairs. The doc- 
trine of Saenz Pena, just and humane in its concep- 
tion, has been cultivated and carried into practice 
in Brazil, Argentina and Chile, where all the foreign 
elements have become assimilated with the national 
character and the generous qualities of the people. 
In those countries, as in time will occur in all the 
other Latin Republics, the earlier foreign immi- 
grants have produced a race which has acquired the 
highest ideals and the fervent patriotism of the de- 
scendants of the Spanish conquistador ~es ; and the 
confirmation of this statement may be found in the 
recent declarations of Ferri and Clemenceau as a 
result of their visits to the Argentine Eepublic. 
Seeking Italians and French in the sons of their 
compatriots who had emigrated to that country, they 
found ardent Argentines of great physical and intel- 
lectual strength inspired by a genuine love of coun- 
try, which qualities are characteristic of nearly all 
Ibero- Americans of mixed blood. It is in this sense 
that I understand and accept the doctrine of Saenz 
Pena, in order that it may benefit the people of those 



IN THE UNITED STATES 37 

countries in which the great future of the world 
lies. 

There is also in the United States a pendant to 
the Monroe Doctrine which might be described as 
the Lodge Doctrine, its existence having arisen out 
of a resolution submitted to and approved by the 
United States Senate, by the distinguished Senator 
from the State of Massachusetts. That resolution 
declared, in effect, that the United States would 
regard as an act of hostility any concession given 
to non- American Governments in the ports of any 
country whence the security of the Panama Canal 
might be threatened. The people of Latin- America 
see in this doctrine the possibility of its being inter- 
preted by imperialists into an attack upon their 
most sacred right — their sovereignty ; and it is with 
this view operating in their minds that efforts are 
being directed to establish union among them and 
to effect the complete abandonment of revolutionary 
movements in order that their strength and their 
independence may be as manifest beyond, as within, 
their borders. 

I was privileged while in New York to have con- 
versations with many eminent men, including Car- 
dinal Farley, Mr. Archer Huntington, Mr. Andrew 
Carnegie, Mr. Thomas A. Edison, and other nota- 
bilities, all of whom expressed their earnest sympa- 
thy with my labors ; but of the many tributes paid 



38 THE TWO AMERICAS 

to me in the United States,* that which I regard 
most highly was a banquet given to me by the Ex- 
plorers' Club of New York, with Admiral Peary 
presiding. At that function I was also invited to 
lecture upon my early explorations in the Amazon 
regions and the changes which have been wrought in 
the heart of South America in the thirty years since 
I first entered upon the perilous adventure. Seated 
at the table, which was adorned by many plants and 
beautiful flowers, suggesting a tropical scene, there 
were notable explorers, historians, geographers 
and others who figure prominently in different 
branches of human study ; and by all of them I was 
accorded an extremely cordial reception; but my 
principal pleasure was derived from the fact that 
these many distinguished American citizens should 
be so deeply interested in the development of that 
remote and vast territory which, in my younger 
days, I had penetrated in the face of almost insur- 
mountable obstacles in the cause of American civi- 
lization and progress. 

From early childhood, when I commenced the 
study of geography, I was always attracted by the 
mystery of the imnfense forests of the Amazon, and 
I ultimately formed the idea of exploring them with 
the object of opening up new and fertile lands for 

* While in New York I was also entertained by the American 
Bankers ' Association, the Foreign Newspaper Association and other 
important bodies. 



IN THE UNITED STATES 39 

commerce and for the territorial extension of my 
country. In my first voyage of discovery I was ac- 
companied only by the savages of those regions, but 
I was later joined by my brothers, Enrique and 
Nestor, and our explorations continued for many 
years until my brother Nestor was devoured by the 
cannibals of Putumayo and my brother Enrique died 
a victim of yellow fever. 

The relation of these matters to the later develop- 
ments of South America is sufficiently established 
to give general interest to the subject of the lecture 
which I delivered in response to the courteous invi- 
tation of the Explorers' Club. I therefore make no 
apology for its insertion in a somewhat abridged 
form, in these pages. 



CHAPTER IV 

MY EARLY EXPLORATIONS 

AS is well known, it was at the Island of San 
Salvador (Cat Island), not far from the 
coast of South America, where Columbus first 
touched with his companions. During the years 
following the discovery the conquerors penetrated 
from the coast of the Atlantic to the interior of 
Venezuela and Ecuador. Nunez de Balboa, crossing 
the Isthmus of Panama, discovered the Pacific, and, 
following his footsteps, the two Pizarros, Almagro, 
Valdivia and Balalcazar conquered Ecuador, Peru, 
Bolivia and Chile, while Magellan discovered the 
Straits which bear his name, and Solis and Cabral 
discovered the Rio de la Plata and Brazil. 

Those daring conquerors, men of iron as they 
were, opened pathways with the machete through 
the impenetrable tropical forests, peopled by the 
aborigines, with whom they had to combat, forests 
full of vipers and poisonous insects; but, besides 
facing these elements of dangerous opposition, they 
were the victims of fever, malaria, and other infec- 
tious diseases. The conditions of primitive nature, 
the combats with the native Indians, lack of provi- 

40 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS 41 

sions, and an absolute ignorance of the countries 
which they were penetrating furnished the reasons 
why the conquest did not advance beyond those 
points at which there existed centres of human 
populations, occupied, in the territories which are 
to-day Venezuela and Colombia, by the Carib In- 
dians, Chibchas and Quichoas in Ecuador, Peru and 
Bolivia; in a part of Chile by the Incas and the 
Almoras ; in the greater part of Chile by the invin- 
cible Araucanos; and in the Rio de la Plata by 
the Guaranis and the Guayas. 

During the colonial period, after South America 
had become independent of the mother country and 
was divided into different republics, up to a few 
years ago, the immense region of the continent 
which extends from the central mass of the Andes 
to the Atlantic, and which in its make-up has an 
extent comparable to that of the ocean between 
America and Europe — that is to say, from four to 
five thousand miles — was completely unknown at 
many points. One of these regions, and one of the 
largest in extent, is situated between Colombia and 
Brazil. Through it run the great rivers known 
as the Putumayo and Caqueta, both affluents of the 
Amazon. 

From my very childhood I felt myself attracted 
by the mystery of those immense forests. I used 
to cherish plans for exploring them, and of open- 
ing across them a communication with the Atlantic, 



42 THE TWO AMERICAS 

thus giving new channels for commerce and for the 
glory of my fatherland. 

My first exploration was made accompanied only 
by the savages of those territories. My two broth- 
ers, Henry and Nestor, were with me when I made 
the next explorations. My brother Henry explored 
for several years the River Napo and the River 
Pastaya of Ecuador, also the different rivers of 
Peru, known respectively as the Huallago, Ucayali, 
Yurua and the Yavari, as well as the two rivers of 
Brazil and Bolivia known as the Purus and the 
Madera, and finally the Tocantins and the Upper 
and Lower Parana of Brazil, Paraguay and the Ar- 
gentine Republic. These explorations lasted over 
a period of several years and were made at our own 
personal expense, without government aid. During 
our travels my two brothers lost their lives; the 
younger one, Nestor, was devoured by the Putu- 
mayo cannibals; Henry perished as a victim of 
yellow fever. 

We started from the City of Pasto, situated on 
the summit of the Andes, under the equinoctial line. 
The immense region which extends from that city 
for more than 4,000 miles to the Atlantic was then 
completely unknown. We traversed on foot the 
great mass of the Cordillera of the Andes, rising 
more than 12,000 feet above the sea level up to the 
region of perpetual snow. Where this ceases there 
are immense plains, called parames, upon which 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS 43 

neither trees nor flowers grow and where animal 
life completely disappears. We wandered for a 
whole month in these cold solitudes, guided only by 
the compass. The plains are covered with a fog as 
dense as that of the high latitudes of the north in 
winter. There were days in which we had to remain 
on the same spot in semi-darkness without being able 
to advance a single step, the thermometer falling to 
10 degrees, Centigrade,* below zero, a temperature 
made unbearable by the lack of proper shelter and 
shoes. We used a kind of shoe called * ' alpargata, ' * 
made of henequen (hemp), which only covered half 
of the foot. Leather shoes cannot be used as these 
plains are covered with a thick layer of mud, in 
which the traveler, while walking, sinks to the knee. 
After marching for a month through this frigid 
desert in which, due to the intense cold, two other 
members of the expedition perished, we reached the 
limits of the solitary pampas, which appeared like 
the product of nature in progress of formation. 
We were at the eastern watershed of the Andes. 
An ocean of light and verdure appeared before our 
eyes, in marked contrast to the shadows and soli- 
tudes which we had just traversed. We had before 
us the abrupt declivity of the Cordillera, which 
descended in some parts almost vertically, then by 

* Centigrade may be converted into Fahrenheit by the simple 
formula of multiplying the number of degrees by 9, dividing the 
product by 5, and adding 32. 



44 THE TWO AMERICAS 

slightly inclined slopes, and beyond, in perfect 
levels, for many miles down to the ocean. Over 
the granite walls of the Andes the water rushed in 
majestic cataracts, flowing afterwards in torrents 
through valleys of the Cordillera. Upon reaching 
the plain these streams are converted into broad 
and beautiful rivers, and, like great ribbons of silver 
on an emerald field, are lost in the distant horizon. 
In the forests the luxurious tropical flora were seen 
in all their beauty. The trees appeared peopled 
with birds of all colors. In a word, it was life which 
we had before us, and chaos we had left behind. 

To penetrate these unknown forests we opened 
roads with a machete through brambles, briars and 
creepers which obstructed our passage. Arriving 
at the vertical slopes of the Cordillera, in places 
which were otherwise impassable, we had to descend 
by the aid of rope. 

For fifteen days we continued our march through 
these virgin forests, inhabited by vipers and wild 
beasts, which fortunately did not cause us any 
harm. We crossed the torrents over bridges of trees 
which we threw across them, or forded them on 
foot; in crossing one of these mountain torrents we 
lost two of our carriers, and the expedition was 
thereby reduced to only six men. After great fa- 
tigue, and already exposed to a temperature of 30 
degrees centigrade, we arrived at a river navigable 
by canoes, on the shores of which lives the tribe of 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS 45 

the Mocoas. These Indians, although savages, are 
hospitable and not cannibals. We remained with 
this tribe one month, during which we procured 
from them a canoe to continue our expedition to the 
Amazon River, and six Indians, who were familiar 
with only six hundred miles of down stream. They 
informed us that they had never gone beyond that 
distance because those who previously dared to 
proceed further were devoured by the cannibal 
tribes which inhabit the other half of the river down 
to the Amazon. 

We launched our canoe, following the course of 
this unknown river, and gave it the name by which 
it was known by the savages, "Putumayo," mean- 
ing, in the Siona dialect, clear water. After two 
days of navigation we arrived at a point which we 
named La Sofia, after my wife. Here, the river is 
six feet deep at all times, and is now the terminus 
of steamboat navigation. 

It took us a month from La Sofia to reach the 
last point known by the savages of Mocoa, a distance 
of 600 miles. Through all this territory the river 
is navigable for steamers of five feet draught. Its 
shores are covered with dense forests, in which the 
rubber or "jeve," cocoa, sarsaparilla, vegetable 
ivory or "tagua," ipecacuanha, and many other 
medicinal plants and a variety of green woods 
abound. We visited the nomadic tribes, the mem- 
bers of which treated us with kindness and even 



46 THE TWO AMERICAS 

generosity, making us presents of smoked provi- 
sions, the product of hunting and fishing. 

These tribes are the Cocaenntis, Montepas, To- 
halia, and the Inquisilla, all finely built men who 
constantly migrate in search of game and fish. They 
have but few straw huts. They cultivate small plan- 
tations of bananas and yucco in the clearings made 
in the woods, felling the trees -with stone axes and 
then burning the roots. They go almost naked and 
each tribe preserves the most absolute autonomy 
with respect to the others. The dialect they speak 
is a mixture of Siona and Quipehua. They have no 
other religion than the worship of evil spirits, with 
which their priests, or Payes, pretend to be in com- 
munication, for which purpose they intoxicate them- 
selves with the juice of a narcotic plant called by 
them Yoco. It is always necessary to be on good 
terms with the Payes, who exercise a dominating 
influence over their companions. The number of 
individuals of which these tribes are composed, ac- 
cording to the information we gathered, is about 
20,000. 

We then entered the region of cannibal Indians. 
The first we encountered were the powerful and 
warlike Miraiias. Our companions, the Indians of 
Mocoa, notified us categorically that from that place 
on they would go no further and that we would have 
to procure a canoe and oarsmen from that tribe, 
because they were going to return. We landed, and, 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS 47 

with an interpreter, went to the first settlement. 
Here we found the powerful Chief "Chua" or 
' ' tiger, ? ' a handsome young man of fine and athletic 
frame, some thirty years of age. He received us 
as friends and gave us his hand, which, as is implied 
by the same token among civilized people, is an 
unequivocal sign of friendship among these sav- 
ages. He then invited us to enter his hut. I was 
the first white man whom these savages had seen, 
and for that reason I was the object of their child- 
like curiosity. They were celebrating a feast of the 
full moon and offered us their dishes of human flesh, 
of Indians called Multotes, enemies of the Miranas, 
who had been made prisoners. 

Through the interpreter we asked Chua — who 
from that date on was our friend and always re- 
mained faithful, carrying his affection so far as to 
take my name, calling himself thenceforth Rafael 
Chua — to give us canoes, provisions and some In- 
dians to continue our trip toward the Amazon River. 
The generous Indian promised to give us all we 
might need. We then took leave of our companions, 
the Mocoas, and became the guests of the Miranas, 
remaining among them fifteen days, during which 
time we accompanied them on their hunting and 
fishing expeditions. After this Chua gave us a large 
canoe and ten robust young men as a crew to con- 
tinue our trip to the Amazon. 

On a beautiful morning we took leave of our 



48 THE TWO AMERICAS 

friend Chua and put out in our canoe on the waters 
of the Putumayo, which here has a width of more 
than 900 yards and is ten feet deep. There were 
still 600 miles ahead of us before reaching the 
Amazon River. For the whole of this distance the 
river is navigable, at all times, to steamers of a 
draft of nine feet. The forests which cover its 
shores abound in the same vegetation as those we 
had just traversed. We visited and made friends 
with the cannibal tribes of the Huitotes, Benecio, 
Orojones, Carijones, Garepanara and Capulla. All 
these received and treated us with kindness and 
generosity. Indeed, during the ten years in which 
we made explorations on the Putumayo, on the 
Amazon River and its other tributaries we were 
never threatened or attacked by the savages, which 
unfortunately was not the case with my younger 
brother Nestor, who was devoured by the cannibals 
of Putumayo and thus paid with his life in the flower 
of youth for his love of work and for the cause of 
knowledge and progress in America. 

We spent two months in descending the lower 
part of the river, being detained by making explora- 
tions ashore and remaining several days visiting 
the different tribes. These tribes speak the Siona 
language, and the number of individuals of which 
they are composed, according to the information ob- 
tained, is over 60,000. These tribes live in continual 
warfare with one another so as to take prisoners 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS 49 

for their festivals and to sell them to merchants 
who used to ascend the Putumayo some 200 miles 
from the Amazon, and who, in exchange, gave them 
alcohol, tobacco, strings of glass beads, mirrors, and 
other trifles. During the time which I passed in 
that region with my brothers we put an end to this 
barbarous trade, imprisoning the traders in human 
flesh and delivering them afterwards to the Bra- 
zilian authorities, who dealt out to them well-mer- 
ited punishment. 

The most disagreeable experience of this, our 
first, exploration was not the heat of 45 degrees C. 
which we had to endure in an open canoe, nor 
the fatigue of rowing all day, nor the poor and 
scanty food, nor the dangers which we incurred 
in the midst of cannibals, but it was in the nights 
which we had to pass on the immense river banks, 
on burning sands, parched by the sun during the 
daytime, in which we had to dig a sort of grave to 
bury ourselves, leaving only the nose uncovered, as 
the Indians were in the habit of doing, in order to 
protect ourselves against the bites of mosquitoes, 
which abound in such number that the atmosphere 
is literally thick with them. To such an extent do 
these insects fill and obscure the air that, on clap- 
ping the hands together, there remained between 
them a solid mass of mosquitoes. 

With the first dawn of the morning these pests 



50 THE TWO AMERICAS 

disappeared, and we emerged from our graves, that 
had served as improvised dormitories and in which 
we had lain naked, covered only with a mixture of 
sand and moisture, which hardened on our skins 
with the cold of the morning. We would then jump 
into the river to free ourselves of this heavy and dis- 
gusting covering and put on the scant and tattered 
clothes which yet remained to us. We journeyed 
during all the hours of daylight, and only stopped 
for the purpose of hunting and fishing to supply 
our needs. At night we prepared the food which 
we had procured during the day. 

Such was our life during the months which we 
spent on the Putumayo, and which seemed to us an 
eternity. We suffered the same fatiguing labors 
as our savage companions, not only in the manage- 
ment of our little and fragile canoe, but also in 
hunting, fishing, and in the expeditions that we 
made on foot; and it is our conviction that it was 
this fact that gained us the affection and respect 
of the savages, who recognize no other superiority 
than that of strength. 

At last, after great hardships, after crossing the 
Cordillera and going either on foot or in a canoe 
over the 1,400 miles of the Putumayo, we arrived 
at the Amazon Eiver. Our efforts had been crowned 
with complete success. We had attained the object 
which induced us to undertake this expedition, 
which was nothing less than to discover a river 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS 51 

navigable for steamers which could afford means 
of communication between Colombia and the 
Amazon. 

The point where the Putumayo, or lea, as the 
Brazilians call it, united with the Amazon River is 
called San Antonio, and is some 1,800 miles distant 
from the ocean. We then arrived at a place which 
might be called civilized in comparison with the 
regions through which we had just passed. A small 
steamer arrived there monthly, plying between Para 
and Iquitos. "We took passage in it for the former 
city, where we arrived six months after our depar- 
ture from Pasto in Colombia. 

I published a short account of our trip, which 
caused a great sensation and was reproduced in all 
the daily papers of Brazil. It was the first time that 
a traveler had crossed the American Continent from 
the Pacific coast of Colombia in order to reach 
Para. In the latter city, hospitable as are all 
Brazilian cities, we were the objects of many mani- 
festations of affection and esteem on the part of 
the authorities and prominent citizens. 

From Para we went to Rio de Janeiro, touching 
on our way the cities of San Luis de Maranhao, 
Ceara, Rio Grande del Norte, Pernambuco and 
Bahia. The voice of the press had preceded us, 
giving information of our expedition, and in all 
these cities, as well as in Rio de Janeiro, we were 
received with enthusiasm. On the day of our ar- 



52 THE TWO AMERICAS 

rival at Eio de Janeiro we received a note from the 
Governor of the palace welcoming us in the name of 
the Emperor, Dom Pedro II, and informing us that 
the latter would receive us the following day at 4 
o'clock in the afternoon in his palace of San Cris- 
tobal. 

We arrived at the palace at the appointed hour. 
The burning sun, rain, hunger and all the fatigue 
we had suffered during six months while crossing 
the continent had reduced my body to a skeleton and 
covered it with a kind of parchment. Thus when I 
made my appearance in the reception hall before 
the arrival of the Emperor and in which were all 
the grandees of the Empire in their gala uniforms 
I noticed that I was looked upon as an intruder. 
Nobody knew who I was and I remained isolated 
from all. A few moments afterward the Master of 
Ceremonies called my name, and, conducting me 
through the assembly which then saluted me with 
deference, he showed me into the sanctum of the 
Emperor, by whom I was received, not only cor- 
dially, but with great affection. 

Dom Pedro II was of majestic and commanding 
stature, of frank and honest countenance and fair 
like a German. In his great blue eyes could be 
discerned the kindness and nobility of his soul; he 
was possessed of a highly cultivated intellect and 
was a savant in the highest sense of the word. He 
spoke several languages fluently and we carried on 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS 53 

our conversation in French. He had a passion for 
geography and for the exploration of the immense 
territories of his Empire. For an honr we discussed 
the map which I had made of my expedition and in 
which he showed great interest. He accompanied 
me to the reception hall where he presented and 
recommended me to all those who were present. 

I remained two months in Eio de Janeiro during 
which I was the recipient of all kinds of polite 
manifestations from that society whose hospitable 
character is proverbial. The Government of Brazil 
generously offered to supply us with ships and 
money to enable us to continue our explorations 
which, however, I did not accept, as I had neither 
asked nor accepted them from my own country, all 
our explorations having been made with funds be- 
longing to my brothers and myself. 

From Rio de Janeiro we returned to Para, where 
we bought the steamer Tundama, named after our 
native province in Colombia, and which we manned 
and provisioned for the purpose of making the 
voyage of the Putumayo to La Sofia. In our steamer 
we ascended the Amazon River without difficulty to 
San Antonio. There we entered the waters of the 
Putumayo. I can say that it was one of the hap- 
piest days of my life when I saw for the first time 
the Colombian flag float from the stern of our vessel. 
This vessel was to extend the conquest of civiliza- 
tion and progress for our country and improve the 



54 THE TWO AMERICAS 

horrible condition of thousands of savages who at 
the mere contact with civilized man felt as if struck 
by the electric spark of that same civilization, for 
they not only treated us hospitably but very gen- 
erously. 

We spent two months navigating the 1,200 miles 
of this river to La Sofia and there we had to procure 
fuel for the steamer. 

While passing through the territory of the savage 
tribes that months before had seen us destitute of 
all resources and had assisted us to continue the 
expedition, we were able to reward them generously, 
permitting them to admire the objects and curiosi- 
ties of civilization until then unknown to them. To 
our friend Chua, the chief of the powerful tribe of 
the Miranas, we made a present of arms, which, 
needless to say, he never used against us ; and imple- 
ments of agriculture, seeds, and clothes for his 
numerous wives. We finished our voyage at La 
Sofia, where the swift current of the river prevents 
a further advance of steamers. From that port, a 
hundred miles distant, the immense Cordillera of the 
Andes rises majestically, appearing on the horizon 
like a gigantic world of bronze crowned with snow, 
about which, toward the South in Ecuador, the vol- 
canoes of Pichincha, Cotopaxi, Chimborazo, and 
others throw forth fire and smoke. Beyond those 
elevated summits was our home calling us back with 
all those allurements of affection which are irre- 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS 55 

sistible to the soul. In order to reach the much-de- 
sired goal we had again to cross on foot the dense 
woods and icy plains through which we had plowed 
onr first way. Later we united the Putumayo Eiver 
with the City of Pasto by a bridle road, over which 
an important trade is carried on to-day. 

What I have said of the Putumayo Biver is also 
applicable to all the other rivers and forests ex- 
plored by myself and brothers. The Indians are 
now partly civilized and the conditions of life have 
improved. An export business of some tens of 
millions of dollars annually is now maintained in 
rubber, cocoa, medicinal plants, etc., and this trade 
fills with its products the holds of hundreds of river 
steamers. 

Explorations of the same laborious character as 
that which I have just described I subsequently 
undertook during the course of several years with 
my brothers Henry and Nestor, on the Eiver s Ca- 
quoit, Napo, Ucayali, Yabari, Yurua, and others. 
My brother Henry died of malignant fever while 
exploring the Yabari Eiver and the Peruvians 
erected a sumptuous mausoleum to his memory in 
the cemetery at Iquitos. Nestor, my younger 
brother, was lost while exploring the forests of 
Putumayo, where he was devoured by cannibals. 
We were able to recover only his bones. These I 
placed with the remains of my brother Henry and 



56 THE TWO AMERICAS 

carried them to Bogota, the capital of Colombia, 
where they now lie at rest in the cathedral. 

Thus I explored, in company with my brothers 
Henry and Nestor, the Amazon River and the 
greater part of its affluents. Thus we discovered 
some unknown rivers. We established steam navi- 
gation in others and we brought into communica- 
tion, by means of an overland route, the river navi- 
gation with the towns on the Andes (from the river 
Putumayo to Pasto). In many of the rivers which 
at that time were unexplored, to-day there are hun- 
dreds of steamers carrying industry and civilization 
to the virgin forests where cannibals formerly wan- 
dered. The exportation which is to-day made pos- 
sible by these rivers, of rubber alone, which grows 
wild in the forest, is worth several million dollars 
yearly. In the forests there grows, in abundance, 
wild cocoa, which is exported in considerable quan- 
tity, besides all kinds of fine woods and medicinal 
plants. Game of all kinds is found and in the 
waters Prof. Agassiz classified more than 500 spe- 
cies of fish. The area of the territory that these 
rivers irrigate is more than 4,000,000 square miles, 
which are still virgin soil, though rich fields for 
agriculture and human industry. 

I wish to call attention to a most important fact 
and that is that the proposed Inter-Continental Rail- 
way line, which will cross South America, could 
easily, by means of some branches, be connected with 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS 57 

the immense system of river communications formed 
by the Amazon and its tributaries that run through 
a territory of virgin soil, and in which all kinds of 
mineral and agricultural resources are abundant. 
These rivers run through the territory of all the 
South American countries in such manner that they 
can, or do, communicate with each other by means 
of river navigation or short connecting railway 
tracks. 

As an example of the great facilities which these 
communications would afford, let us suppose the 
Inter-Continental Railway completed and that a 
traveler were to start from New York. He would 
traverse the United States, Mexico, Guatemala, Sal- 
vador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Eica, Colombia, 
Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. At Buenos 
Aires he could embark on the Rio de la Plata or 
Parana, ascending the same after traversing Para- 
guay, in order to seek the communication with the 
Tocatins River, across the Sierra Esclavona. He 
would embark on the Tocatins, descend by it to the 
Amazon, then he would go to the Madera or Purus, 
and thence to Bolivia. He would then continue to 
the Yabari, Yurua, Huallaga or Morona, and by 
them he would proceed to Peru. By the Tigre, 
the Pastasa, or Hape, he would visit Ecuador. By 
the Caqueta or Putumayo he would visit Colombia. 
By the Rio Negro, which communicates with the 
Orinoco, he would visit Venezuela, and traveling by 



58 THE TWO AMERICAS 

the Meta to Cabuyaro at a distance of 60 miles from 
Bogota and returning to the Amazon by the same 
route, he would arrive at the City of Iquitos and 
there take the steamer to New York. 

When my brothers and myself made these ex- 
plorations at the time of Stanley's African discov- 
eries the Amazon and some of its great affluents 
were hardly navigated by even small steamers.. 
Other branches of the Amazon were navigated only 
by canoes, and the rivers Putumayo and Caqueta 
were almost unknown. The civilized population 
living in those countries was very sparse and even 
the principal cities contained hardly over 1,000 in- 
habitants — many of them but a few hundred. No 
important commerce existed, and yellow fever and 
malaria claimed one out of every ten persons bold 
enough to penetrate those regions. Places which 
were formerly villages and small hamlets are to-day 
cities of tens of thousands of inhabitants with all 
modern improvements, and by means of sanitation 
they will become cities such as Panama, Colon and 
Havana are to-day. Among those cities are Iquitos, 
with more than 20,000 inhabitants, at a distance of 
3,000 miles from the ocean ; and Manaos, which has 
the position of St. Louis, Missouri, as being near 
the mouths of the Eivers Madera, the Purus and 
the Bio Negro, it will soon have from 80,000 to 
100,000 inhabitants. 

These two cities can be called maritime ports, for 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS 59 

they are connected with the ports of Europe and 
North America by regular lines of steamships. The 
City of Para, which at the period first referred to 
had a population of only 30,000 inhabitants, to-day 
has over 100,000. The steamships which were then 
counted by dozens are to-day counted by hundreds. 
The railway lines are beginning to unite cities situ- 
ated in the Cordilleras of the Andes with the navi- 
gable rivers, as is the case with the railway of 
Mamaro, just finished, and which unites the Eiver 
Madera to the Madre de Dios in Bolivia. The rail- 
ways of Peru are advancing to a point where they 
are joining with the navigable part of the Eivers 
Tambo and Ucayalo. At a near date communica- 
tion between the Eivers Tocantins and Parana is 
bound to be made by means of a railway across 
the Sierra Esclavona, not a matter of great length. 
This will finally unite the basins of the Amazon 
and the Eiver Plate, and navigation by steamships 
to an extent of 15,000 miles, which the Amazon has 
helped increase thereby by more than 3,000 miles, 
will be opened. When, by means of the Casiquiare 
Arm which unites the basin of the Amazon with that 
of the Orinoco, these two systems of navigation be- 
come joined, it will be increased by 2,000 miles more, 
which will give a total of 20,000 miles of river navi- 
gation by steamships of trans- Atlantic capacity. 

If you compare the development which the ter- 
ritories explored by Stanley in Africa have had in 



60 THE TWO AMERICAS 

the same space of time, comparing also the natural 
riches and climate of both continents and consider- 
ing that Asia can hardly nourish and shelter its 
growing population any more than can Europe, what 
I said in my lecture at Madrid last September and 
what I repeated in Paris would seem to be true, 
namely, that "the hope of humanity in the twentieth 
century lies in South America. ' ' 

Justice impels me to declare that credit for the 
greatest and most fruitful conquest of these modern 
times is due to the United States of America — that 
is to say, the conquest of the tropical regions by 
means of sanitation. Where formerly yellow fever, 
malaria, and other infectious diseases reigned su- 
preme, retarding colonization and impeding prog- 
ress, to-day on account of this advance in sanita- 
tion, Panama, Cuba and Porto Eico are as healthful 
as New York, Buenos Aires or Paris. It is neces- 
sary that knowledge of these modern means of 
sanitation should be spread all over the world in 
order that mankind may be benefited equally. Ex- 
plorers have opened up tropical regions, but modern 
methods of sanitation are necessary to make them 
habitable and so, useful to humanity. 

The Panama Canal, the most stupendous work 
yet accomplished by the human race, will give so 
great an impulse to civilization in the tropical re- 
gions and in the countries known in South America 
as the "A, B, C" — Argentina, Brazil and Chile — 



EARLY EXPLORATIONS 61 

that it will not be very long before they will all be, 
not only rivals of the United States, but rivals also 
of Europe. In the constant progress of the human 
race immigration has been from east to west. From 
the heart of Asia it passed to Syria, from there to 
Egypt, from Egypt to Greece, from Greece to Eome 
— that is to say, to Europe — whence it continues its 
march toward North and South America. 

In 1915 when, in San Francisco, the Panama 
Exposition will be officially opened to celebrate the 
opening of the Canal, the questions at issue between 
my fatherland, Colombia, and the United States, I 
feel sure, will have been settled in a manner credi- 
table to the honor and dignity of the two countries, 
likewise in harmony with the eternal principles of 
justice, as is demanded to-day by the enlightened 
public opinion of the people of the United States. 



CHAPTER V 



THE PANAMA CANAL 



rilHE construction of suck a work as that of the 
-*■ Panama Canal has been projected ever since 
the discovery of America and from the time when 
the heroic Balboa traversed the Isthmus and the 
surrounding mountains, struggling with the warlike 
savages until he advanced, fully armed, into the 
waters of the Pacific and took possession of them 
in the name of Spain. 

In 1534 the Emperor Charles V issued a decree 
ordering the local judges and other officials to have 
prepared designs and charts of the lands and moun- 
tains of the district, and to furnish, with all dili- 
gence, an estimate of the cost of the work and the 
approximate time it would take to complete, prompt 
attention being requested on the ground that the 
matter was "of paramount importance." Later in 
the same century further efforts were made in Spain 
for the construction of the Canal by that country. 
On various occasions during the succeeding cen- 
turies spasmodic attempts were made in different 
quarters to revive the movement, but, owing to polit- 

62 



THE PANAMA CANAL 63 

ical disturbances in Europe and to other causes, 
no serious measures for carrying out the scheme 
were adopted until after the establishment of the 
Spanish-American Bepublics. Following that im- 
portant event many concessions were granted, both 
by Colombia and Nicaragua, for the construction of 
a canal to join the waters of the Atlantic and the 
Pacific, but with the exception of the concession of 
1878, granted by Colombia, and that of 1887 by 
Nicaragua, no construction work was executed under 
any of them. 

The first practical step in the direction of the 
construction of the Canal took place in 1846, when 
the United States entered into a treaty with Colom- 
bia (then New Granada), and it is from that date 
that I propose to trace the history of the negotia- 
tions which led to the construction of the Canal, and 
to the grave attack upon the sovereignty of Colom- 
bia which has caused the world to stand aghast at 
the methods of American diplomacy. The Treaty 
with Colombia gave to the United States the right 
to cross the Isthmus by means of communication 
therein established, the United States, in exchange 
for this privilege, guaranteeing to Colombia her 
sovereignty over the territory of the Isthmus of 
Panama; and it was in respect of the violation of 
that Treaty by the United States that I was ap- 
pointed by my Government, in 1903, as Chief of 
the Mission sent to Washington to present an ofii- 



64 THE TWO AMERICAS 

cial protest and to negotiate, if possible, for an 
adjustment of the difficulty. 

In 1850, Great Britain, realizing the immense 
importance of such a connection between the two 
oceans, both for herself and for Canada, made a 
treaty with the United States known as the Clayton- 
Bulwer Treaty, whereby the contracting parties 
agreed to construct and operate the Canal jointly 
and not to open it without mutual consent. In 1881 
the Government of Colombia gave to Mr. Napoleon 
Bonaparte Wyse a concession for the construction 
of the Canal which was to be of an international 
character. Mr. Wyse transferred this concession 
to a company formed by De Lesseps under the title 
of "The Universal Company of the International 
Canal of Panama," and in a period of eight years 
that company expended $350,000,000 upon the work 
of construction. 

With the growing necessity, increased by the war 
with Spain, for the United States to have closer and 
easier communication between its coasts on the 
Pacific and those of the Atlantic, which then and 
now involves the doubling of Cape Horn and 13,000 
miles of navigation, public opinion demanded the 
construction of the Canal, and President McKinley 
appointed a Commission to report upon the best 
route for a canal "under the control, direction and 
ownership of the United States. ' ' Two years after 




Copyright by Underwood & Underwood, N. Y. 

FIRST VESSEL PASSES THROUGH GATUN LOCKS OF PANAMA CANAL 



THE PANAMA CANAL 65 

its appointment the Commission presented an exag- 
gerated report, favoring the route of Nicaragua, 
doubtless for the reason that the French Company, 
which held the concession for the construction of a 
Panama Canal, made demands of an exorbitant na- 
ture in the terms of the payment to be made for 
the concession and the work already done. The 
French Company was aware that the Commission 
only valued the purchasable rights at $40,000,000; 
and, being afraid that in the event of their insisting 
upon a larger payment the Nicaragua route might 
be chosen, the French Company agreed to sell its 
rights for the sum fixed by the Commission, where- 
upon that body submitted a supplementary report 
in favor of the Panama route. 

In 1901 the United States Government succeeded 
in persuading Great Britain to substitute for the 
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty another, known as the Hay- 
Pauncefote Treaty, which, under certain conditions, 
gave to the United States absolute and exclusive 
control over the construction and operation of the 
Panama Canal. The United States was thus at 
that time in possession of the French Company's 
rights and in the enjoyment of the privilege to con- 
struct the Canal as and how it wished, subject to 
terms being agreed with Colombia for the cession of 
the territory of the Isthmus and the granting of the 
corresponding rights. For the latter purpose a 



6Q THE TWO AMERICAS 

convention was entered into with Colombia in 1903 
and a treaty, known as the Hay-Herran Treaty, 
was signed for ratification by the Congresses of both 
countries. Under that treaty $10,000,000 was to be 
paid to Colombia in consideration of the territory 
and rights ceded to the United States, and to this 
was to be added a subsequent payment of $250,000 
per annum to commence nine years after confirma- 
tion of the treaty. For reasons explained in this 
chapter, the ratification of the treaty was refused by 
the Colombian Senate with the result that the Gov- 
ernment of the United States, taking advantage of 
the revolution in Panama, accelerated the forma- 
tion of the new Republic, with which it made a 
treaty in the identical terms of that existing with 
Colombia for the cession of the territorial and other 
rights involved. The proofs of these latter state- 
ments I furnished in the note I addressed to the 
United States Government in December, 1903, in 
my capacity as head of the Colombian Mission to 
Washington. 

If the causes of the differences between the two 
Governments had been of lesser importance Colom- 
bia would have readily made concessions to the 
United States in order to maintain the friendly rela- 
tions with that country which had for so long been 
uninterrupted. Inasmuch, however, as the approval 
of the Hay-Herran Treaty not only affected valua- 



THE PANAMA CANAL 67 

ble and precious interests but equally the sovereign- 
ty and independence of Colombia, my Government 
immediately directed the attention of the State De- 
partment to Paragraph 5 of Article 35 of the Treaty 
of 1846, then still in existence. That Paragraph 
embodies the following provision :* 

If, unfortunately, any of the Articles contained in this 
treaty shall in any other manner be violated, it is ex- 
pressly stipulated that neither of the contracting parties 
shall commit or authorize acts of reprisal, nor declare 
war against the other by reason of injuries or damages 
sustained, until the party which considers itself offended 
shall have previously presented to the other, with satis- 
factory proofs, details of the alleged injuries or damages 
sustained, in respect to which justice and satisfaction 
shall have been demanded and denied in violation of 
legal obligations and international law. 

The formal exposition of the case as provided by 
the Article quoted was duly submitted to the State 
Department at Washington, together with a ref- 
erence to the Hay-Herran Treaty of 1903, which 
distinctly stipulated that: 

When this Convention has been signed by the contract- 
ing parties it shall be ratified in conformity with the laws 
of the respective Governments. 

This provision was essential to the celebration of 
the contract, as in terms of the Colombian Laws 

* This paragraph is a translation of the Spanish original. 



68 THE TWO AMERICAS 

and Constitution no treaty entered into by the Gov- 
ernment can become effective until it has been ap- 
proved by Congress. Thus it is clear that- in ac- 
cordance with the Law of Nations, which renders 
void any pact made by an incompetent authority, 
and according to the Colombian Constitution, not 
to mention the existence of the same constitutional 
principle in the United States which calls for a con- 
firmation by the Senate of all treaties made by the 
Government, the Hay-Herran Treaty could under 
no circumstances have become effective without the 
requirements here quoted. Yet in spite of this very 
clear provision the United States Government re- 
sented the rejection of the Treaty by the Colombian 
Senate and indirectly produced the Revolution of 
Panama and the unlawful dismemberment of Co- 
lombian territory. 

Although at the time no reasons were assigned by 
the Colombian Senate for declining to confirm the 
Treaty it was well known to the American Minister 
at Bogota and naturally to the State Department 
at Washington that the reason for the action of the 
Colombian Senate was that the Constitution of that 
country expressly prohibits the cession of sovereign 
rights. It was, moreover, felt that the construction 
of public works on so extensive a scale and the 
permanent occupation of Colombian territory would 
occasion frequent collisions by the existence in Ean- 



THE PANAMA CANAL 69 

ama of two Public Authorities, one national and the 
other foreign. 

The subsequent action of the United States ren- 
dered it impossible for the Colombian Government 
and Senate to carry out their repeatedly expressed 
desire to modify the terms of the Treaty so that it 
might be made acceptable to all parties, the Amer- 
ican Minister having informed my Government in 
so many words that the United States would de- 
cline to accept any modification whatsoever in the 
terms of the treaty. This statement was accompa- 
nied by the threat that unless the treaty was given 
the force of law the United States Congress would, 
at its following session, " adopt measures which 
every friend of Colombia would regret." 

Shortly afterwards, and before the revolt which 
proclaimed the independence of Panama, agents of 
the authors of the rebellion were holding confer- 
ences, according to the statements of leading Amer- 
ican newspapers, with persons clothed with an 
official character by the Government of the United 
States, while it had been proved beyond doubt that 
a New York bank furnished a sum of $300,000 for 
the carrying out of the plot. Two days before the 
movement was commenced the Secretary of the 
Navy Department at Washington ordered American 
cruisers to the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the 
Isthmus to prevent the entry of Colombian troops 
into the territory of Panama. 



70 THE TWO AMERICAS 

A few days later, when my Government placed 
me in command of a military force to reestablish 
order in the Isthmus, these cruisers prevented our 
landing, and being then unaware of the causes of the 
attitude so taken up by the United States I directed 
a note to the commanding officer, Admiral Coghlan, 
requesting to be informed on the subject. The reply 
to that note by Admiral Coghlan simply stated that 
"his peremptory orders were to prevent the disem- 
barkation of Colombian troops with hostile intent 
within the limits of the State of Panama." 

The Eepublic of Colombia, with a population of 
five million inhabitants, was at that time divided 
into nine departments of which Panama was the 
least populous, having only about 250,000 inhab- 
itants, while some of the others contained upwards 
of a million. At that time the Colombian army con- 
sisted of 10,000 men under arms, a force more than 
sufficient to have suffocated the rebellion in Panama 
if the Government of the United States had not pre- 
vented the embarkation at Puerto, Colombia,* of the 
troops under my command, and at Buenaventura, in 
the Pacific, of others under the command of various 
general officers. 

To conclude this narrative of the circumstances in 
which Colombia was deprived of her sovereignty 
and her territory it is only necessary to add that, 

* It should be understood that there is no route by land for 
troops to proceed from the interior of Colombia to Panama. 



THE PANAMA CANAL 71 

having prevented the Colombian Government from 
nsing the forces at its disposal for the suppression 
of the revolution, the United States Government, 
with unusual haste, within two days of the declara- 
tion of its independence, recognized the Republic 
of Panama as a sovereign and independent State 
and fourteen days later entered into a treaty with 
that Republic guaranteeing its independence and 
providing for the construction of the Canal in that 
territory. 

Even to those unaccustomed to the methods 
adopted by the nations of the world in the recogni- 
tion of newly formed States the action of the United 
States in relation to the Republic of Panama can 
leave no doubt in the minds of intelligent persons 
that it was a wide departure from conventional cus- 
tom. I will not trouble the reader with a recital 
of authorities on the subject. It will be sufficient 
for my purpose to quote the doctrine propounded by 
Mr. Seward, Secretary of State, in 1861: 

"We (the United States Government) freely ad- 
mit that a nation may and even must recognize a 
new State which has absolutely and unquestionably 
effected its independence and permanently estab- 
lished its sovereignty, and that a recognition under 
such circumstances does not afford just cause for 
offense on the part of the Government of the country 
from which that State has been separated. On the 



72 THE TWO AMERICAS 

other hand we insist that a nation which recog- 
nizes a revolutionary State with the object of assist- 
ing to create its sovereignty and independence gives 
legitimate and grave offense to the nation whose 
integrity has been thus invaded and makes itself 
responsible for just and ample satisfaction. Eecog- 
nizing the independence of a new State and so favor- 
ing its admission to the family of nations is the 
highest possible exercise of sovereign power, be- 
cause in every case it affects the welfare of two 
countries and, frequently, the peace of the world. 
In the European system this power is rarely exer- 
cised without previous consultation with other na- 
tions. That system has not yet been extended to our 
continent, where there is even more necessity for 
prudence in such cases in dealing with American 
States than in treating with European countries." 

Nothing can be added, it seems to me, to this 
noble and humanitarian doctrine propounded by the 
great man who unhappily, for the sake of his own 
country and of Colombia, no longer exists. If Co- 
lombia had not been in possession of the forces 
necessary to compel Panama to maintain national 
unity, it might have been reasonable for the United 
States, in a friendly manner, to have approached 
the de facto Government established at Panama, for 
the purpose of arriving at a satisfactory arrange- 
ment, but in view of the facts that the rebellion was 



THE PANAMA CANAL 73 

produced by the seduction of the troops, who, no 
matter how brave, had no one to fight, no entrench- 
ments to assault, no fortress to reduce, their services 
having been limited to conducting to prison the con- 
stituted Authorities, the best friends of the United 
States would hardly be likely to commend its action 
in this very serious matter. 

Conserving our national integrity through a 
period of future peace, Colombia may have restored 
to her the elements of strength which have been 
sacrificed in unfortunate internal struggles and may 
aspire to occupy, by the physical and moral capacity 
of its people, a distinguished position in the Amer- 
ican continent. But if the act of the United States 
in preventing the National Government from sup- 
pressing revolutionary movements within its own 
territories is to constitute a precedent, similar out- 
breaks may be repeated in the future and the re- 
sponsibility for them will rest entirely upon the 
United States. Colombia has never recognized the 
principle of secession, chiefly because obligations and 
contracts entered into with foreign nations and indi- 
viduals are based upon the possessions of the State 
at the time such treaties or contracts are made. If 
the people of Panama, animated by the noble senti- 
ments which inspire men of action to secure more 
rapid progress, had declared their independence 
after victories gained against the governing or mis- 
governing authorities ; if they had organized a gov- 



74 THE TWO AMERICAS 

ernment, dictated laws, and had proved to the world 
their fitness for self-government, without doubt they 
would have been entitled to recognition as an inde- 
pendent State by all other nations. But in the 
absence of all these conditions and in the attitude 
of the Government of the United States in its nego- 
tiations with Colombia it is evident that recogni- 
tion would have been denied to Panama if it had 
not possessed the best route for the Isthmian 
Canal. 

Governments follow each other with changes of 
policy demanded by the circumstances of the hour, 
but the national sentiment of consideration of the 
rights of others and the sense of justice of the people 
never change. Jealous of the national honor, the 
great bulk of American citizens have never sanc- 
tioned the official methods adopted in 1903 to secure 
possession of the Isthmus, nor will they close their 
ears to the universal demand for reparation to that 
country for the violation of her sovereign rights 
by an American Government. That unprecedented 
act has largely alienated the confidence of the south 
in the good faith of the north, but I firmly believe 
that Mr. Wilson's administration, in the fulfilment 
of its undoubtedly sincere profession of those high 
principles which create respect for the countries 
which enforce them, will remove that blot from the 
national escutcheon. 

The claims of Colombia in this matter do not 



THE PANAMA CANAL 75 

merely embody monetary compensation for the ma- 
terial losses involved in the dismemberment of her 
territory. They include as a paramount considera- 
tion a recognition of the moral wrong inflicted upon 
her and, by reflection, upon all the other Latin 
countries by an attack on her territorial integrity, 
solemnly guaranteed at an earlier period by binding 
treaty obligations of the United States. 

Colombia, of all the countries of America, will 
probably derive proportionately the greatest advan- 
tages from the operation of the Canal, although the 
entire continent will be largely benefited by the 
striking changes it will produce in market condi- 
tions. It is certain, however, with the advantages 
of distance in favor of New York and of all the 
ports of the two Americas, with the lakes of the 
interior and the immense waterways of South 
America navigable for a distance of 18,000 miles, 
that surprising results will occur in the progress of 
the two divisions of the continent. The agricul- 
tural countries will obtain their fertilizing nitrates 
from Chile with greater rapidity and at less cost; 
the steel industry of the United States will receive 
impetus in the greater facilities which the route of 
the Panama Canal will give to it, as against England 
and Germany, both in South America and in the 
Orient ; while there will also be a great development 
of the silk industry in the United States by the 



76 THE TWO AMERICAS 

shortening of the distance to Japan, which produces 
the raw material. On the other hand, the old world 
possesses equal interest in the Canal, as, apart from 
the commercial advantages that will follow in the 
direction of international commerce, the changes in 
health conditions in that part of the American trop- 
ics which its construction has necessitated will help 
to dispose of one of the greatest dangers and dif- 
ficulties now confronting the congested countries of 
Europe. 

I remember, during the Centennial Celebrations 
of 1876, accompanying the late Emperor of Brazil 
on a visit to the Philadelphia Exposition, where I 
read on a large map: 

"1776. 3,000,000 of English colonists in 
13 colonies. 

"1876. 40,000,000 of free men dominat- 
ing from ocean to ocean." 

Why should there not be written over the portals 
of the San Francisco Exposition in 1915 : 



100,000,000 of free men who have constructed and 
opened the Panama Canal, who have rendered the trop- 
ical regions healthy and who have done justice to Colom- 
bia in her claims respecting Panama. 



THE PANAMA CANAL 77 

With that inscription justified by performance 
the American flag would float over the two oceans to 
the glory of its nationality and to the satisfaction of 
Latin-America where the question of the Panama 
Canal is of absorbing interest and importance. 



CHAPTER VI 

FROM NEW YORK TO BRAZIL 

T MADE the trip from New York to Brazil in the 
*- steamship Voltaire which is owned by the Eng- 
lish Company, Lamport & Holt, Ltd., and is one 
of the units of the splendid fleet which that Com- 
pany employs in a regular passenger service be- 
tween North and South America. The Voltaire, 
which carries sixty first-class passengers, has a 
capacity of about twelve knots and makes the jour- 
ney from New York to Rio de Janeiro in eighteen 
days. During the voyage I enjoyed the solitude and 
the beauty of the sea which recalled to me the 
thoughts of being far from restless humanity, such 
as those which passed through my mind when I 
was penetrating the Amazon forests, the silent 
mountain peaks of the Andes, or the limitless des- 
erts through which the great Nile flows. I had a 
comfortable stateroom on the upper deck which en- 
abled me better to observe that as the boat directed 
her bow toward the south, where there are the light, 
the warmth, and the beautiful vegetation of the 
tropics, we were leaving behind us in the north the 
cold gray haziness of winter that impresses a seal 

78 



NEW YORK TO BRAZIL 79 

of sadness on the land, the trees and the flowers. 
Our course was first between North America and 
Europe and later between South America and 
Africa, and as we approached the equator the color 
of the water changed with the form of the clouds, 
which in the tropics seemed to reflect the imposing 
magnitude of the Cordillera of the Andes. There 
also the brilliancy of the stars is more intense and 
diaphanous and their pure light reminded me of the 
starry and serene nights of Egypt, Syria and Pales- 
tine, which rekindle the memory of so many vener- 
able spirits and divine histories. Shining in these 
heavens I recognized some beloved constellations 
whose trail I so frequently followed during the long 
nights passed in the forests where I slept in ham- 
mocks suspended from the trees. Every night I 
swept the horizon with anxiety, looking for the ap- 
proach of the constellation best known to the in- 
habitants of the southern hemisphere, the Southern 
Cross. It emerged in all its brilliancy and serenity 
at the same time as the Polar Star that had accom- 
panied us on the trip from the northern hemisphere 
disappeared below the dark horizon which we left 
behind us. I contemplated the Southern Cross with 
the same enthusiasm and affection as I viewed the 
first peaks of my country's mountains, forming sil- 
houettes to the pure blue sky, after a long absence 
from them. On the waters there were floating 
stretches of sea-weed resembling green lawns parted 



80 THE TWO AMERICAS 

from the land, and in some parts of the tropical seas 
these are so large and abundant that the original 
explorers called them fields. 

I promenaded the ship to study the character of 
the passengers. During the first three or four days 
of an ocean voyage the majority of passengers, and 
especially those who suffer from sea-sickness, do 
not desire social intercourse. They are silent and 
peevish while their glances are at times even ag- 
gressive. The ego, "I," perverse and malevolent, 
is so much in control that not even the ordinary 
courtesies are exchanged ; but little by little the ego, 
"I," is gradually changing into a good and generous 
person who gives one the time of day and his opin- 
ions on the weather until those who, during the first 
days of the voyage, were disagreeable, or at least 
indifferent, melt into a more natural condition of 
desire for friendly relations with their fellow-trav- 
elers. A ship like the Voltaire may be likened to a 
human museum carrying people of different nation- 
alities, of diverse races, languages and classes of 
society, passing many days in the journey from one 
continent to the other, in a weak vessel between two 
abysses, that above and that below. Among the 
first-class passengers there were many American 
citizens who were proceeding in search of markets 
for the products of their colossal factories of steel, 
textiles, wooden and iron wares, and the products of 
their agriculture. Some of these were accompanied 



NEW YORK TO BRAZIL 81 

by their wives and presented many phases of North 
American character. There were some who made 
themselves obnoxious by their vulgarity and offen- 
sive manners, and there were other American citi- 
zens more typical of the great majority of North 
Americans, well educated, considerate, and possess- 
ing a sympathetic view of the rights and of the 
inhabitants of the Latin countries, but the manners 
and opinions of these refined people were evidently 
so distasteful to the brutal class to which I have 
referred, that they were completely ignored by their 
inferior compatriots. 

Amongst the third-class passengers there were 
many Eussian emigrants, mujiks of various ages, 
who had abandoned the cold fields of their country, 
where the prolonged reign of feudalism had con- 
verted them into serfs, to seek in America a new 
life and a new fatherland. In their number there 
were also some fanatical nihilists proceeding to the 
Argentine Republic where they would doubtless en- 
deavor to sow the seeds of anarchy, such as were 
carried into practice a short time ago by an eight- 
een-year-old-boy of this class who assassinated Col- 
onel Falcon, the Chief of Police of Buenos Aires, al- 
though as a result of that tragedy the most stringent 
measures are adopted, not only in Buenos Aires but 
in all the South American ports, to deport known 
anarchists. Many, however, of the Russians on 
board the Voltaire were simple peasants desiring 



82 THE TWO AMERICAS 

only to find a country where their labors in tilling 
the soil would give them a new home, life and lib- 
erty. Others in the third-class cabins included a 
number of Greek, Italian and Spanish emigrants 
with their families, and on several occasions I went 
below to talk with them and to study their char- 
acteristics. In those from the north, I noticed the 
reserve and egoism which the colder climates and 
the lack of the necessities of life imposed on their 
inhabitants; while in those from the south there 
was obvious evidence of the qualities of expansion, 
ingenuity and affection. 

We approached the equinoctial line where the 
Southern Cross and the other constellations shone 
with the greatest intensity and we saw that we were 
navigating toward the mouth of the Amazon, the 
Sea Eiver, the American Mediterranean, which has 
an outlet of 240 miles from Tijoca Point to the 
North Cape. Its current is so strong that during 
the rainy season it throws back the waters of the 
sea and its own water may be drunk in its pure 
state at a distance of more than 120 miles from 
land. Near the mouth of the river is the island of 
Marajo, or Joanes, which is 240 miles in length and 
60 miles wide. At one time there was such an abund- 
ance of cattle on this island that the animals were 
killed only for the exportation of the hides, while the 
flesh was abandoned to the elements and ultimately 
caused an epidemic which wiped out the whole of 



NEW YORK TO BRAZIL 83 

the remaining stock. The extension of the Amazon 
to its sources is nearly 4,500 miles and it can be navi- 
gated by ocean steamers for nearly 3,000 miles up to 
Iquitos; whilst including also its tributaries, the 
Orinoco and the Eiver Plate with its affluents, ves- 
sels of shallow draught like those that navigate the 
Rhine and the Hudson can travel an aggregate dis- 
tance of more than 13,000 miles. It is therefore no 
exaggeration to describe the Amazon as the Ocean 
River. On the night that we were about to enter 
its deep waters I was brought back to the days of 
my youth when, with my two brothers, I explored 
the greater part of its tributaries. With retrospec- 
tive glances and with the eyes of the soul I recalled 
those pleasurable days when we lived in an intimate 
union with nature and with our friends, the poor 
savages who inhabited those regions; and all the 
sorrows and joys of our many experiences in those 
parts were reenacted in my mind through the spon- 
taneous and magic impulse of an ideal. To-day the 
voyage from New York to the mouth of the Amazon 
can be made in 12 to 14 days. 



CHAPTER Vn 



IN BRAZIL 



rpHE immense and rich Brazilian territory which 
*■ occupies the most eastern part of South Amer- 
ica is situated in Lat. 5° 10' North to 33° 46' 10" 
South, and between 8° 21' 24" Eastern Longitude to 
32° Western Longitude of the Meridian of Rio de 
Janeiro. The extension of its coasts from the 
Orange Cape to the Barra Chuy is approximately 
7,900 kilometres. From north to south it is nearly 
4,300 kilometres, counting from the beginning of the 
Cotinco River in the Roruima Mountains to the 
mouth of the Chuy, and it is, more or less, 4,360 
kilometres from the Stony Point in Pernambuco to 
the starting of the Jaquirana River which forms the 
Yavari. Its area is calculated to be 8,650,959 square 
kilometres. 

The boundaries of Brazil are : On the north, the 
Guianas (French, Dutch and British) and the Re- 
publics of Venezuela and Colombia; on the north- 
east, east and southeast, the Atlantic Ocean; on 
the south, the Republic of Uruguay; on the south- 
west, the Argentine Republic; on the west the Re- 

84 




MARSHAL HERMES DA FONSECA, PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL 



IN BRAZIL 85 

publics of Paraguay, Bolivia and Peru, and on the 
northeast, the Bepublic of Colombia. 

The States with their capitals and areas are as 
follows : Square 

States Capital Kilometres 

Alagoas Maceio 28,680 

Amazonas Manaos 1,850,000 

Bahia Salvador 575,876 

Ceara Fortale'za 157,720 

Federal District Rio de Janeiro . . . 1,116 

Espiritu Santo Victoria 42,439 

Goyaz Goyaz 644,194 

Maranhao San Luis 303,045 

Matto Grosso Cuyaba 1,668,995 

Minaes Garaes Bello Horizante . . 632,747 

Para Belem 1,280,000 

Parahyba Parahyba 56,981 

Parana Curytyba 184,910 

Pernambuco Recife 93,942 

Piauhy Therezina 207,578 

Rio Grande del Norte. Natal 45,913 

Rio Grande del Sur. . .Porto Alegre 287,828 

Rio de Janeiro Nicteroy 45,685 

Santa Catharina Florianopolis .... 99,018 

Sao Paulo Sao Paulo 260,042 

Sergipe Araca ju 23,250 

Territory of Acre, Alto Acre, Alto Purus 

and Alto Yurua 191,000 

Total 8,650,959 



86 THE TWO AMERICAS 

The population is estimated at about 24,000,000 
inhabitants, the country being divided into twenty 
States, a Federal District, and the Territory of 
Acre. 

The discovery of Brazil may be said to have been 
effected by chance. In March, 1500, a squadron 
commanded by Pedro Alvarez Cabral, Governor of 
Barra, and Senhor de Belmonte, left Lisbon on a 
searching expedition with the object of founding 
a Portuguese colony in the Indies. The sealed 
orders which were to be opened in a denned lati- 
tude, advised them to keep near to the coasts of 
Africa in order to avoid the calms of the Gulf of 
Guinea, and complying with these instructions they 
were involuntarily carried by the equatorial cur- 
rent, at that time unknown, directly to the new con- 
tinent. On April 21st they sighted land, the Ser- 
rania de los Aymores, which they called the Pas- 
choal Mountain. On the following day the look- 
out, Alfonso Lopez, discovered a port which they 
named Security Port, close to a river (the Bel- 
monte), 16° South Latitude. On April 24th the en- 
tire squadron entered the port and on May 1st the 
chaplain, Father Enrique de Coimbra, celebrated t 
the first mass in Brazil, where, with due solemnity, 
Cabral took possession of the land in the name of 
the King of Portugal. To this region he gave the 
name of Vera Cruz, which was subsequently 
changed to Santa Cruz, probably on account of the 



IN BRAZIL 87 

constellation of the Southern Cross. Later, the 
name of "Brazil" was adopted on the suggestion 
of the merchants who had begun to export large 
quantities of the red wood, then known as Ibiri- 
pitanga, which was the principal product of the 
territory. 

In 1499 a Spaniard, Vincente Yanes Pinson, a 
companion of Columbus, discovered the Cape of Our 
Lady of Consolation, to-day called Saint Augustin. 
Meanwhile the squadron under the command of 
Cabral continued its voyage toward the Indies, after 
having sent to Portugal Commander Gaspar Lemus 
to communicate to the King the news of the fortu- 
nate discovery. At the height of the Cape of Good 
Hope Cabral ran into a terrible storm which cost 
him many of his boats, and among those who were 
lost was an old sailor named Bartolonie Diaz, dis- 
coverer of the Cape which was then baptised as the 
"Cape of the Storm." Cabral did not pursue his 
efforts to establish a colony in the Indies but instead 
he loaded up his boats with the riches of the country 
and on his return, in 1501, he encountered in the 
Altantic the first fleet the King of Portugal, Dom 
Manuel, had sent to Vera Cruz. A Portuguese 
sailor, Diego Alvarez Correa, who was thought to 
have belonged to the expedition of Alvarez Cabral, 
remained in what is to-day called Bahia, where he 
was found on the beach by the Tupinambas, canni- 
bal Indians, who wished to destroy him, but the 



88 THE TWO AMERICAS 

Portuguese fired his gun in the air and the fire and 
noise produced so much fear among the Indians that 
they thought him a demi-god and gave him the 
name of Caramuroo, or Son of Fire. He then be- 
came friendly with the tribe and marrying a woman 
from the family of the Chief, lived for many years 
amongst them and assisted Tomas de Souza in 
founding the city of San Salvador, now known as 
Bahia. At about the same time, in the district in 
which is now situated the city of Sao Paulo, Juan 
Ramalho gained the confidence of the Chief of the 
Goyanases Indians and having married his daughter 
lived in Piratinanga, where, by his influence, he con- 
tributed largely to the conquest of that region. The 
Chief of those Indians was called Tiberica, a name 
which still exists and is carried with pride by a 
family from whom have sprung some of the most 
distinguished men of Sao Paulo, a fact which af- 
fords further evidence of the assertion that the 
mixture of Iberians with a high type of aboriginal 
race, as occurred in Chile, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, 
etc., produces a stout and intelligent race, whilst the 
Saxons who go to those countries extinguish the 
higher qualities of the indigenous element. 

To the same extent as the Portuguese explored 
the coasts of Brazil, the Spanish explorers, headed 
by Juan Diaz de Solis, explored the River Plate, 
then called by the natives, Paraguay. In the year 
following the discovery of America by Columbus 



IN BRAZIL 89 

Pope Alexander VI issued his famous edict giving 
j to the Crown of Castile and of Leon all the islands 
and lands discovered in those waters on the west 
and to the south of a meridian line crossing the 
Arctic and Antarctic Poles, 100 leagues to the west 
of Cape Verde and the Azores. In this Papal Bull 
Portugal was not mentioned though it was assumed 
that her rights would be reserved over the terri- 
tory her sons had discovered, or would discover, to 
the east of the line of limitation. The Portuguese 
were not satisfied and in the following year, by a 
treaty with Spain, this line was moved 370 leagues 
westward, the treaty further providing that in any 
further discoveries those to the east would belong to 
Portugal, and the western part of the continent, 
discovered by Columbus on the third voyage in 
1498, to Spain. Due to this treaty Brazil became a 
possession of Portugal, although during the eclipse 
of that country after the death of Dom Sebas- 
tian it fell under the dominion of the Crown of 
Spain. 

When the news of the great discoveries arrived at 
Lisbon the King, Dom Manuel, sent two expeditions 
to explore the shores of the new land. The first 
sailed in 1501, under the orders of Gonzalo Coelho, 
and the other in 1503, under the command of Cris- 
tovan Jacques, both having as pilots the celebrated 
navigator, Amerigo Vespucci. For many years 
these lands were neglected and abandoned until Dom 



90 THE TWO AMERICAS 

Joao III, son and successor of Dom Manuel, in 1526 
sent Cristovan Jacques with a squadron of six ships 
for the purpose of protecting the recently acquired 
territory. Jacques established the trading-post of 
Itamaraca which later fell into the hands of the 
French but was subsequently regained by the Por- 
tuguese. 

In 1530 Martin Alfonso da Sousa sailed from 
Lisbon with a squadron of five ships with a view 
to the colonization of Brazil and to prevent France 
or any other nation from taking possession of the 
lands. Da Sousa captured three French boats off 
the coast of San Agostinho, and, proceeding south- 
ward, covered the whole of the coast to the River 
Plate. On his return he founded the village of San 
Vicente and in the interior that of Piratininga, 
which was the beginning of the city of Sao Paulo. 

Of the twelve Captainries into which Dom Joao 
III divided Brazil, in 1534, historical records fur- 
nish only the following ten: San Vicente, Bam 
Amaro, Parahyba del Sur, Espiritu Santo, Porto 
Seguro, Liheos, Bahia de Todos los Santos, Per- 
nambuco, Ceara and Maranhao. The greater num- 
ber, however, of the expeditions sent to colonize 
these sections did not produce satisfactory results 
owing to the violent hostility, continued over a num- 
ber of years, of the savages. The parts that pros- 
pered most during this period were those of San 
Vicente and Pernambuco. With a view to con- 



IN BRAZIL 91 

solidate the strength of the colonizing forces, to 
dominate the savages and to destroy the ambitions 
of other European nations, Dom Joao III, in 1549, 
created a Governor-General of Brazil and named 
Tomas da Sousa as the first incumbent of the posi- 
tion. On February 2, 1549, da Sousa sailed from 
Lisbon with six ships which carried a number of 
families, about 600 soldiers and the first six Jesuits 
to go to South America. Assisted by the Tupinam- 
ba Indians, da Sousa founded the city of San Salva- 
dor which rapidly extended. He then visited the 
southern sections, inspected the fortifications and 
regulated the administration of justice, while the 
Jesuits, under the wise guidance of Father Manuel 
de Nobrega, established excellent schools to educate 
and convert the Indians and to instruct the Por- 
tuguese colonists in the practice of Christian 
virtues. 

Tomas da Sousa was succeeded as Governor-Gen- 
eral in 1553 by Duarte da Costa, who had in his 
retinue a party of six Jesuits, amongst whom was 
Jose de Anchieta, who later on became known as the 
Angelic Apostle and the Taumaturgo of Brazil; 
and in 1554 this priest founded the College of Sao 
Paulo in the valley of Piratininga and the influence 
of that institution was soon afterwards felt through- 
out the entire section in which it was situated. 

Seeing that the progress of the colony was mak- 
ing great strides the Government at Lisbon resolved, 



92 THE TWO AMERICAS 

in 1572, to divide Brazil into two distinct general 
governments, with a seat in the city of San Salvador 
in the north, and in the city of Rio de Janeiro in 
the south. 

In 1580 Brazil, with all the other Portuguese 
Colonies, fell under the domination of Spain. Brazil 
had already made considerable advance. The city 
of San Salvador had nearly 10,000 inhabitants and 
Pernambuco presented a nourishing appearance. In 
the San Vicente section the capital made very little 
headway, but, per contra the city of Sao Paulo and 
Santos, its principal port, were forging rapidly 
ahead. Rio de Janeiro, owing to its advantageous 
situation and splendid bay, even at that time gave 
promise of a brilliant future, while the savage tribes 
established along the coast from Pernambuco to 
San Vicente had been conquered or suppressed or 
had gone into the interior of the forests. 

During the reign of Philip II Spain entered into 
a war with Holland, and Brazil was invaded by the 
Dutch, who, during a period of about ten years, 
occupied Bahia, Recife and Olinda, the section of 
Pernambuco, Rio Grande del Norte and Parahyba. 
In 1640 Portugal released herself from the Spanish 
yoke and placed a member of the House of Braganza 
on the throne in the person of Dom Joao IV. Brazil 
was at that time governed by Dom Jorge de Mas- 
carnhas, Marquis of Montalvo, its first Viceroy. 
The fight against Dutch domination in Brazil con- 



IN BRAZIL 93 

tinned until 1654, when the Dutch were forced to 
capitulate. Seven years later, on the 16th of 
August, 1661, Holland signed the peace pact with 
Portugal. In 1680 the Portuguese Government de- 
cided to extend the meridianal boundaries of Brazil 
up to the 70°, to the shores of the River Plate, and 
founded at that point the colony of Sacramento. 
In 1763 the capital of Brazil was shifted from San 
Salvador to Rio de Janeiro, and by the treaty of 
San Idelfonso, signed between Spain and Portugal 
in 1777, Brazil ceded to the former the colony of 
Sacramento. 

During the government of the Count of Arcos, 
who was the seventh and last of the Viceroys of 
Brazil, owing to the French invasion of Portugal, 
the Royal Family of Braganza left Lisbon in 1807 
for Rio de Janeiro. A part of the squadron, carry- 
ing the Prince Regent, who for fifteen years had 
ruled in place of Queen Dona Maria I, who became 
mentally deranged, arrived at Bahia and after the 
issue of a decree opening the ports of Brazil to all 
friendly nations the Prince Regent sailed for Rio de 
Janeiro where he established the seat of the Portu- 
guese Monarchy. 

In 1815 Brazil was elevated to the rank of a 
kingdom, united with that of Portugal and the 
Algarves, and on the death of the demented queen, 
which occurred during the following year, the 
Prince Regent ascended the throne with the name of 



94 THE TWO AMERICAS 

Dom Joao VI. In 1817 the Portuguese troops, 
under the command of General Lecor, took posses- 
sion of the entire territory of the oriental country 
(Uruguay) which in 1821 was formally annexed to 
Brazil as the Province of Cisplatine. Four years 
later Dom Joao VI proclaimed his son, Dom Pedro, 
as Regent of the Kingdom of Brazil and returned 
to Portugal. Shortly afterwards the Court of Lis- 
bon desired to reduce Brazil to its original colonial 
condition, and, separating all the Provincial Gov- 
ernments from Rio de Janeiro, caused them to be 
placed under the direct control of Portugal. At 
the same time the principal courts and public insti- 
tutions of Rio de Janeiro were abolished and the 
Prince Regent was ordered to return to Portugal 
immediately. As a result, however, of representa- 
tions from the Governments of the Provinces of Sao 
Paulo and Minas Geraes and of a petition from the 
people of Rio de Janeiro, Dom Pedro issued a mani- 
festo in which he declared that : " So long as meas- 
ures are adopted having for their object the welfare 
of all and the happiness of the Nation tell the people 
that I will not absent myself. ' ' Following this dec- 
laration the Portuguese garrison at Rio de Janeiro, 
consisting of about 2,000 men, seized the Fort of 
Castello but owing to the attacks of a strong force of 
Brazilian troops the Portuguese forces were obliged 
to surrender the fort and retreating to Nicheroy 
they embarked for Europe. Meanwhile Dom Pedro 



IN BRAZIL 95 

had formed a Cabinet of lawyers from the Prov- 
inces, and on his return from a visit to the Province 
of Minas Geraes he accepted for himself and for 
his successors the title of "Perpetual Defender of 
Brazil" and convoked a Constitutional Assembly. 
With the subsequent knowledge that the Court at 
Lisbon was about to despatch a strong military force 
to Brazil he issued a manifesto exhorting the Bra- 
zilians to unite with a view to securing their com- 
plete independence. During the same month he 
left for Sao Paulo, where there were grave political 
disturbances, and having been advised of the in- 
tention of the Lisbon Court to take strong measures 
against him he raised the patriotic cry of "Inde- 
pendence or Death," which was reechoed through- 
out the country and led to Brazil becoming an inde- 
pendent nation. On his return to Rio de Janeiro 
Dom Pedro was proclaimed Constitutional Emperor 
of Brazil and two months later his coronation took 
place. Ultimately, in 1825, after three years of 
continuous fighting for the expulsion of the Portu- 
guese troops from the Provinces, Portugal solemnly 
acknowledged the independence of Brazil. 

In April of the same year a revolution took place 
in the Province of Cisplatine which the Argentine 
Government had attempted to incorporate in its 
territory, and this attitude of the Argentine Govern- 
ment resulted in a declaration of war. The war 
continued for three years and after several naval 



96 THE TWO AMERICAS 

engagements, on August 27, 1828, a Treaty of Peace 
was entered into whereby the eastern part of the 
Province was proclaimed as an independent State 
which is known to-day as the Oriental Republic of 
Uruguay. 

On the death of Dom Joao VI, in March, 1826, 
Dom Pedro I was acclaimed King of Portugal. 
The Emperor of Brazil ceded the crown of that 
kingdom to his daughter, then recently born, Dona 
Maria da Gloria, and named as his Regent, his 
brother, Dom Miguel, who shortly afterwards, with 
the support of the nobility and clergy, was declared 
King of Portugal, but this caused the outbreak of a 
civil war in which, in 1834, Dom Miguel was de- 
throned. 

Owing to serious revolutions in Rio de Janeiro 
during the early part of Dom Pedro's reign as 
Emperor of Brazil, that monarch abdicated in April, 
1831, in favor of his son, Dom Pedro, who at that 
time was only five years of age, and, having placed 
his children, who remained in Brazil, under the 
guardianship of Jose Bonifacio de Andrade y Silva, 
left for Europe in the English frigate Volage on 
the 13th of the same month. In the following June % 
a Regency was established but was subsequently dis- 
solved owing to frequent disturbances and the in- 
subordination of the troops. Other Regencies fol- 
lowed until July, 1840, when the General Assembly 



IN BRAZIL 97 

proclaimed the majority of Dom Pedro II who was 
immediately afterwards crowned as Emperor. 

Notable happenings marked the pages of the his- 
tory of Brazil during the reign of Dom Pedro II. 
Amongst these may be mentioned the War of 1851-2 
against Manuel Eosas, the Dictator of Buenos Aires, 
who ultimately fled to Europe ; the English Question 
of 1862; the campaign against Uruguay caused by 
the repeated attacks on the Brazilian residents in 
that country; and the war which Brazil carried on 
against the tyrant Lopez, President of the Republic 
of Paraguay. This campaign which continued over 
a period of about five years constitutes one of the 
most glorious pages of Brazilian history, affording 
as it does abundant testimony to the bravery of her 
soldiers and to the heroism and patriotism of her 
sons. During more than forty years Dom Pedro's 
reign was distinguished by the contentment and 
prosperity of the nation until, on November 15, 
1889, a part of the garrison of Rio de Janeiro re- 
volted under the direction of Marshal Deodoro da 
Fonseca and attacked the naval barracks at the 
Camp of Santa Ana, where they found the Ministry, 
presided over by the Viscount Ouro Preto. The 
uprising was successful and the Republic was pro- 
claimed with Marshal da Fonseca at the head of the 
Provisional Government. Subsequently the Fed- 
eral Republic was decreed as the form of govern- 
ment and the banishment of the Imperial family 



98 THE TWO AMERICAS 

was ordered to be carried out within twenty-four 
hours. 

Before the expiration of that brief interval Dom 
Pedro sailed with his family for Lisbon, giving pub- 
lic expression to his sincere wishes for the future 
happiness and prosperity of Brazil and refusing all 
the pecuniary assistance offered him by the Provi- 
sional Government. The memory of that illustrious 
man, simple, patriotic and learned, is cherished by 
me with the utmost veneration, and my heart is filled 
with anguish and my eyes with tears when I recall 
the spectacle of his departure. He was surrounded 
on the deck of the ship by his saddened family, and, 
gazing in the direction of the shore, offered a prayer 
for the continued welfare of the country to which 
he had devoted his life's energies and love. Time, 
however, has assuaged the bitterness of feeling en- 
gendered by the events of the hour and the virtues 
and qualities of Dom Pedro have since been recog- 
nised by the Brazilian Government which erected a 
beautiful bronze statue at Petropolis in memory of 
the departed monarch. 

It is a very human and natural proof, though 
often bitter and sad, that nations in search of new 
courses, guided in many cases by sincerity and faith 
and in others as victims of lamentable errors, are 
apt to sacrifice those who initiated the very changes 
so impatiently awaited — changes which in some 
cases lead to prosperity and progress and in others 



IN BRAZIL 99 

to retrogression or stagnation in prevailing condi- 
tions. Yet, in the instance of Brazil it must be 
admitted that the new seed has fructified and that 
the country has made greater advance since the 
establishment of the Federal Eepublic than during 
the whole period of its previous history. 

During the first three or four years of the repub- 
lican regime Brazil suffered from constant agita- 
tion and repeated attempts at subversive move- 
ments; but on the advent, in November, 1894, of 
Dr. Barros as President, tranquility and order were 
restored throughout the country and have since 
been maintained to the great advantage of the 
people. President Barros solved many diplomatic 
conflicts under the guidance of that illustrious dip- 
lomat, Baron Eio Branco, not least important of 
which were the questions of the Island of Trinidad 
and those of Amapa and Missoes which guaranteed 
to the Brazilians the possession of an immense new 
and rich territory. In November, 1898, Dr. Barros 
was succeeded by Dr. Manuel Ferraz de Campos 
Sales whose brilliant administration led to a definite 
reestablishment of financial conditions, and in turn 
his administration was followed by that of Dr. Rod- 
riguez Alves, who directed the policy of one of the 
most fruitful governments of the Eepublican period. 
It is not necessary to comment in detail upon the 
achievements of Dr. Rodriguez Alves and his cabi- 
net. It is sufficient to look at the geographical map 



100 THE TWO AMERICAS 

of Brazil with its extended boundaries, secured 
without even a threat of war. It was during the 
term of that government that the Ministry of For- 
eign Affairs, then in the hands of Eio Branco, en- 
tered into the famous treaty of Petropolis, signed in 
November, 1903, with Bolivia, whereby Brazil ac- 
quired ownership of the vast territory of Acre, at 
the same time establishing a modus vivendi with 
Peru, which made claims to that territory and to a 
large part of the State of Amazonas. Other acts of 
the Alves administration included the conclusion of 
treaties referring to boundary limits with Ecuador 
and Dutch Guiana; the participation of Brazil in 
the International Peace Conference at The Hague; 
and the reunion in Eio de Janeiro of the Third 
International American Conference and others 
which have combined to set a seal upon the diplo- 
matic supremacy of Brazil on the American Con- 
tinent. 

In November, 1906, Dr. Alfonso Augusto Moreira 
Pena succeeded to the Presidency and was acclaimed 
with enthusiasm by the people, but unfortunately 
his death, in June, 1908, interrupted the full reali- 
sation of the statesmanlike programme he had laid 
down. Dr. Pena was succeeded by Dr. Nilo Pecanha, 
and in November, 1910, the Presidency of the Re- 
public fell to Marshal Hermes Rodriguez da Fon- 
seca, who is now President and whose term of of- 
fice will end on November 15th, 1914. 



IN BRAZIL 101 

Pages might be added to the record of Brazil's 
progress during the last decade, not only commer- 
cially and industrially but equally in every other 
sphere of national activity. Modern Brazil has re- 
established its position as a great maritime State, 
and recent events have shown that the construction 
and acquisition of some of the finest battleships 
afloat were not, as at one time suggested, for the 
purpose of aggression against any of its neighbors. 
Brazil is one of the foremost nations in the move- 
ment for universal arbitration of international dis- 
putes; the Capital is adorned by the magnificent 
white marble structure, transferred from the St. 
Louis Exposition, which is now known as the Monroe 
Palace, erected for the gathering, in 1906, of the 
Pan-American Conference over which Senator Boot, 
when Secretary of State of the United States, pre- 
sided; and the Legation at Washington was raised 
to the rank of an Embassy whose Heads have been 
exceptionally distinguished even among the many 
eminent diplomats at the Capital. 

If those — and there are many — who still regard 
contemptuously the term "South America," as ap- 
plied in a generic sense to some of the Latin coun- 
tries on the southern portion of this continent, 
were to pay a visit to Brazil, Argentina, Chile and 
some of the other Republics, they would soon be 
disillusionised as regards the signification of that 
description. Formerly, it was convenient for Euro- 



102 THE TWO AMERICAS 

pean bankers and others having commercial rela- 
tions with some of these countries to use the 
expression " South America" to signify political 
unrest, financial disorder and other disturbing ele- 
ments which depreciate the value of national issues 
in the great financial centres. The phenomenal de- 
velopment, however, of many of them, their stability 
of government and the enormous extension, during 
recent years, of their foreign trade, have combined 
largely to remove such unfavorable impressions 
with the result that to-day their national credit is 
higher than that of some of the better-known States 
of Europe, whilst their high standard of culture 
and achievements in the fields of art, literature and 
science have advanced them to the front rank of the 
nations of the world. 

Brazil is the largest of the countries of Latin 
America, its area being sixteen times that of France 
and practically equal to that of the United States, 
excluding Alaska, and, although much of its exten- 
sive territory is still uncultivated and its immense 
natural resources for the most part undeveloped, its 
great national industries, the growth of its foreign 
trade, its large and beautiful cities, its admirable 
systems of education and government, together with 
its general progress in everything pertaining to 
modern civilisation, give to Brazil the justifiable 
claim to be regarded as a truly great nation. 

A noted British international jurist wittily ob- 



IN BRAZIL 103 

served a few years ago that " South America was 
discovered at the Peace Conference at The Hague," 
by which expression he desired to convey the deep 
impression made upon him by the ability and pro- 
found knowledge of international law of the South 
American Delegates to that Conference. He had 
evidently not taken into account such great author- 
ities on the Law of Nations as Rio Branco, Nabuco 
and Buy Barbosa of Brazil, or Dr. Drago of the 
Argentine Republic. He was probably also unaware 
that Brazil is the only country on the American con- 
tinent which has a permanent diplomatic service as 
one of many worthy traditions of its former Empire. 
Imperialism, however, in its abstract sense, has en- 
tirely disappeared from the country in which indi- 
vidual liberty to-day stands out as a striking fea- 
ture of national character, and it is because of this 
desire for liberty and an ardent respect for the 
beauties of nature that many auriferous areas and 
many valuable sources of water supply in town and 
camp have not been converted to industrial objects. 
Yet whilst these principles tend to create a higher 
cost of living and to consequent suffering on the 
part of the poorer classes through increased taxa- 
tion, one cannot help admiring and approving as an 
example the patriotic qualities of the people who 
make these sacrifices in order to preserve their his- 
toric landmarks and to avoid producing govern- 
mental disorder and the undermining of the social 



104 THE TWO AMERICAS 

fabric. The pursuance of ideals is nation-wide 
amongst the Brazilians, and if for this reason the 
natural wealth of some of the remoter parts of 
the country still remains unexploited compensation 
is to be found in the wonderful progress of the 
larger centres and in the results of the efforts of its 
erudite youth who are already figuring prominently 
in the universal Kepublic of letters, in the councils 
of diplomats, and in the realms of art and science. 
From the earliest times Brazil has been known as 
''the land of birds, beautiful plants and flowers." 
To-day it may justly be called ' ' the land of progress 
and freedom" where peace and culture prevail and 
where the laborer may earn more by six hours work 
than by twelve in most other countries. 

In its geological formation Brazil is one of the 
most ancient parts of the South American Conti- 
nent, its mountains having been formed prior to the 
great volcanoes of the Andes. These mountains, 
which are in the centre of the country, fall abruptly 
in the direction of the Atlantic coast and are com- 
posed of crystalline rocks. Although their elevation 
has been diminished owing to the action of rain- 
falls, of the sun and of the winds, through the ages, 
many of them reach great heights, the highest 
amongst them being the Italiaya which is situated 
at a distance of about 80 kilometres from Rio de 
Janeiro. The vegetation in the eastern portion of 
the plateau is abundant and as beautiful as in the 



IN BRAZIL 105 

tropical forests. From these lands a number of 
small rivers flow, emptying themselves, in the north, 
into the Amazon, and in the south into the Parana; 
and it is at the latter point that Brazil adjoins 
Paraguay and Bolivia, whose railroads now under 
construction will in a short time be linked up with 
the railroads which now cross the States of Sao 
Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina and Eio Grande, 
where they unite with the lines of the Eiver Plate. 



CHAPTER VIII 

IN BAHIA AND RIO DE JANEIRO 

TI/T Y first stop on Brazilian territory in the trip 
■*>*■• from New York was at Bahia, formerly called 
San Salvador, which was for many years the na- 
tional Capital. I had known Bahia during my early 
explorations on this continent when it was a small 
colonial city full of imperfections and inconveni- 
ences. Since then it has been completely trans- 
formed on the lines adopted in the present Capital, 
Rio de Janeiro. The hand of modern progress is 
visible throughout the city. The old colonial houses 
have been removed to make way for elegant modern 
residences and buildings, and the many narrow Por- 
tuguese streets have become broad and imposing 
avenues, shaded by beautiful trees possessing the 
exuberant qualities of this fertile tropical centre. It 
was, however, a source of pain to me on my recent 
visit to find that the many stately trees which for- 
merly adorned other parts of the city of Bahia 
had entirely disappeared. It is unfortunately a 
characteristic of the Iberian race, both in the Penin- 
sula and in America, that they are enemies of tree 
culture and as a natural consequence have in many 

106 



IN BAHIA 107 

instances rendered productive lands sterile, and 
have destroyed countless beautiful landscapes, as 
may be observed in Mexico and in the elevated 
regions of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia, 
where this destruction has taken place without any 
corresponding material results. 

Bahia is rapidly developing into a fine modern 
city and with the improvements now proceeding 
will doubtless shortly acquire a considerable in- 
crease in population. Its soil is rich in tropical 
products and is especially adapted to the cultivation 
of tobacco and cacao, whilst the commodious and 
safe harbour is equipped in every way for the com- 
mercial expansion now taking place. The journey 
by steamer from Bahia to Rio de Janeiro occupies 
two days and is made on a route parallel to a con- 
tinuous chain of mountains which separate the fer- 
tile and extensive plateau of the interior from the 
Atlantic coast. This delightful scenery resembles 
in many respects the rich Valle del Cauca in Colom- 
bia and its littorals on the Pacific which will shortly 
be united by railway from Cali to Port Buena Ven- 
tura. Bahia is the third city of importance in 
Brazil, with a population of more than 250,000 in- 
habitants. In the lower part of the city there are 
numerous industrial establishments devoted to the 
manufacture of cigars, cigarettes, chocolate, textile 
fabrics, hats and other articles, the fashionable resi- 
dential quarter and the Government Buildings being 



108 THE TWO AMERICAS 

located in the more elevated portions of the city. 
Amongst the more notable structures of Bahia may 
be mentioned the Naval Arsenal, the Chamber of 
Commerce, the Government Palace, the Museum, the 
State Treasury, the School of Medicine and many 
churches of great architectural beauty. 

Approaching the harbour of Eio de Janeiro the 
joy which everyone on board experienced at the ter- 
mination of the long and tedious voyage was in- 
tensified by the beautiful sight which met our gaze 
in the view presented to us of Brazil's much-fa- 
vored Capital. Since my last visit it had become a 
city of palaces encircled by extensive and broad 
avenues, adorned by artistic monuments which 
record and perpetuate the names of Brazil's most 
illustrious sons, planted with beautiful trees and 
paved with asphalt. There are spacious parks, wor- 
thy of any great city of the world, with abundant 
waters, surrounded by the majestic mountains of 
Corcovado, Pan de Azucar, Los Dos Hermanos and 
the Tijuca, whose brows are covered with primitive 
woodlands conserved in all their original beauty; 
and at the foot of these, there is the picturesque 
bay with its multitude of islands and islets combin- 
ing to form a scene of surpassing splendour. This 
panorama, heightened in effect by myriads of ele- 
gant and tall royal palms whose foliage appears to 
mingle with the clouds ; and, illuminated at night by 
masses of electric lights which reflect in the bay as 



IN RIO DE JANEIRO 109 

the rays of the sun reflect during the day, makes the 
city of Rio de Janeiro resemble a veritable fairy- 
land. 

The city proper embraces an area of 158,316 
square kilometres which is practically twice the size 
of Paris although its inhabitants number only about 
one-fourth of the population of the French Capital. 
Eio de Janeiro is without doubt a great city in 
every sense of that description. Amongst its many 
attractions are the broad and magnificent avenues 
such as the Avenida Central which was cut through 
the heart of the city by the demolition of nearly 650 
buildings. It is about 100 feet wide and with its 
statues and beautiful palm trees is one of the most 
stately avenues in the world. Another feature of 
attraction is the Botanical Gardens whose area ex- 
ceeds a million square metres and embraces fifty 
thousand different species of vegetation. The great 
Palm Avenue alone contains 134 of these palms, 
averaging the enormous height of 80 feet, the mother 
palm from which all these have sprung being of the 
gigantic proportions of 114 feet high, with a maxi- 
mum diameter of four feet three inches, and was 
originally planted by the Princess Imperial in 1809. 
The population of Rio is estimated at upwards of 
a million inhabitants and the city is one of the great 
commercial emporiums of the globe. 

In the primitive forests of Tijuca and in all the 
suburbs of Rio there are innumerable cascades and 



110 THE TWO AMERICAS 

trees of every variety and colour, beautiful plants, 
valuable medicinal herbs and multi-coloured flowers 
in profusion. There is also an infinitude of birds 
with exquisite plumage, and in the words of the 
Chilean writer Vega, "these surroundings possess 
so many marvels and beauties of nature as to capti- 
vate the spectator." 

On entering the city my first thoughts again re- 
verted to my memorable visit to Eio de Janeiro in 
1875, where I arrived after a year of arduous travels 
across the continent from the Pacific to the mouth 
of the Amazon. I recalled the public favor with 
which the results of the expedition undertaken by 
my lamented brothers and myself were received, 
and rejoiced at our having discovered rubber lands 
that have since given many millions of dollars to 
the Brazilian Government and to private individuals 
who exploit them. The newspapers had already 
given full accounts of our explorations and on the 
day following my arrival I was warmly received by 
the patriotic Brazilian Emperor, Dom Pedro II. 
Emaciated and sallow through the rigors and priva- 
tions of the expedition in which we had to cut our 
way, with the machete, through suffocating primi- 
tive forests and through thousands of leagues of 
unknown rivers in canoes manned by savages, the 
Emperor was surprised at my youth — I was then 
22 years of age — and treating me with benevolent 
familiarity, displayed deep interest in my notes and 



IN RIO DE JANEIRO 111 

maps of the regions I had traversed. His Majesty 
presented me to his Ministers and to other digni- 
taries of the Court, amongst whom were the Mar- 
quis of San Vicente, Viscount Rio Branco, Senator 
Nabuco, Baron Cotejipe and Admiral Van der Cook. 
All of these personages subsequently showed me 
great attention. The Marquis of San Vicente in- 
vited me, on the same day, to dine at his house in 
the Flamenco Square, where I was introduced to 
his wife, to his daughters, and to his son, Com- 
mander Manuel Pimenta Bueno, who at that time 
was the Chief of the National Navigation Company 
of Amazon Steamers. Much to my surprise the 
Marquis greeted me with the words, "this is your 
house and it affords me great pleasure to welcome 
you at our table and I trust you will accept the 
room that we have placed at your disposal so that 
you may stay with us." I gladly accepted the invi- 
tation and for several months the Marquis treated 
me as a son. Every Sunday I accompanied him 
to his modest country home, "Agabia," where we 
talked of his works on jurisprudence and of his con- 
stant and intense desire for the abolition of slavery 
in Brazil, and I can affirm with pleasure and pride 
that the influence of his altruistic spirit and of his 
cultivated and lofty ideals inspired me to a higher 
conception of the duties of life than I had pre- 
viously formed. 
I did not return to visit this great man and friend 



112 THE TWO AMERICAS 

but for many years prior to the death of my broth- 
ers we continued to correspond with him until he 
died. On my visit during the present year I made 
efforts to find some members of the Marquis' fam- 
ily. His son, the Commander, and the Marchioness 
were also dead and we could find no trace of his 
daughters. At length my friend, the Chilean Min- 
ister, Don Francisco de Herboso, obtained for me 
the address of one of the grandchildren of the Mar- 
quis, Byna Pimenta Bueno, whom I had known as a 
child and loved as a baby sister. I went to her 
home and on receiving my card she immediately 
came forward to greet me and with great emotion, 
said: "Are you Don Eafael Eeyes, the great and 
beloved friend of my grandfather, of whom he has 
so often spoken with enthusiasm and affection, re- 
garding you as a member of our family?" I replied 
in the affirmative and recalled to her many touch- 
ing episodes of her childhood. She then added, 
"Your photograph is in our album with those of 
our grandparents, our parents and our brothers and 
sisters. Unfortunately there are none left but my 
sister Cortinho, who has dedicated herself to a re- 
ligious life among the nuns of Buen Pastor, and my 
Aunt Emilia, who married Dr. Francisco de P. 
Olivera, who resides in Guaratingueta. Allow me to 
embrace you as a member of the family. ' ' At that 
moment tears came to our eyes and there was a com- 
munion of soul and of revived affection for the be- 



IN RIO DE JANEIRO 113 

loved dead. This lady represents a beautiful type 
of the moral and intellectual Ibero-American woman. 
"Well informed, modest, intelligent and pious, she 
passes her life in the appreciation and esteem of all 
who know her. I conversed with her for a long 
time on the subject of her family and of Brazil, 
which she loves with intensity, and in taking leave 
of her we arranged that two days of my stay in 
Eio would be passed together and that we would 
visit the Cemetery of San Juan Bautista, in Bota- 
fogo, to see the tombs of the Marquis, of his wife, 
and of the Commander. We did so and on a beau- 
tiful morning amidst the impressive effects of a 
brilliant sun, the fragrance of the flowers and the 
songs of the birds, which one could only experience 
in Eio — the City of Paradise — we made this sad 
journey. We deposited flowers on the tombs and 
prayed together in that sacred place, like a father 
and a daughter. 

On the following day, accompanied also by my 
son, Pedro Ignacio, we paid a visit to the old home 
in the Flamenco Square, which had since passed into 
the hands of other owners. We also visited the Cor- 
covado, the orange groves and the Botanical Gar- 
dens, from whose summit we contemplated the mag- 
nificent panorama of Rio, so beautiful, so varied 
and so full of all the beauties of nature ; the moun- 
tains that are fanciful and bold, the picturesque 
small islands, and the modern city with its artistic 



114 THE TWO AMERICAS 

embellishments. After these two days I did not 
see the Senhora Byna until the morning of our 
departure when, at 7 a. m., she was awaiting us at 
the railway station with a bouquet of saudades tied 
together with ribbons of the Brazilian colours, and 
as the train was about to start she embraced me and 
my son while the tears flowed from my eyes in say- 
ing good-bye to one who had brought back to us 
such loving memories. 

One of the great accomplishments of the Marquis 
of San Vicente was his ultimately successful and 
almost life-long effort to secure the abolition of 
slavery in his country. The question of slavery was 
for many years one of Brazil's most difficult prob- 
lems, and it was only at the conclusion of the Civil 
War of the United States that definite measures 
for its abolition were adopted. The Emperor, Dom 
Pedro II, always advocated a policy of caution and 
prudence in dealing with that grave matter, although 
at the same time he spared no effort to free his 
country from the crime against humanity which the 
principle of slavery involves. Eepeated conferences 
took place with that object in view, but it was only 
in 1866 that the project outlined for the emancipa- 
tion of slaves was submitted to Congress. That 
measure, which subsequently acquired the force of 
law, was drafted by the Marquis of San Vicente (at 
that time Senator Bueno) who had frequently de- 
clared that he would not die in peace until he saw 



IN RIO DE JANEIRO 115 

his beloved country cleared of the stigma which 
slavery cast upon her reputation. The draft-law 
was first sent direct to the Emperor, accompanied 
by a memorial signed by Senator Bueno, and one 
of my proudest possessions is a copy of that me- 
morial. As a document of human interest and his- 
toric value I have no doubt it will appeal to all 
lovers of freedom, and I regard it as a simple act 
of justice that I should place it on record when 
dealing publicly with the abolition of slavery in 
Brazil. The following is a translation of the 
memorial : 

"To a Sovereign as illustrious and humane as 
Your Majesty and to a Christian people such as 
those of Brazil it is unnecessary to dwell upon the 
repugnant, odious and barbarous character of the 
perpetual slavery of human beings. It would be a 
work of supererogation to point out to what extent 
human enslavement corrupts the morals of society, 
retards the perfection of labor, weakens the vigor 
of political liberty and destroys progress in every 
branch of life. It is a dreadful picture of a sec- 
tion of humanity whose lives, families, honour, 
religion and destiny depend solely on the will of 
their absolute masters, reducing manhood to ma- 
chinery, to the symbol of blind obedience and to the 
condition of victims of tyranny. 

1 ' The present century, armed with the irresistible 



116 THE TWO AMERICAS 

power of intelligence and of scientific advance, de- 
mands a vigorous campaign against snch an abuse 
of force. From year to year it has torn down and 
continues to tear down all the obstacles imposed 
in the interests of private individuals against the 
voice of morality and humanity. Every branch of 
human knowledge has been called before the altar 
of reason and justice to declare against this viola- 
tion of all the laws known to man. This universal 
protest has even penetrated the spiritual region 
and has awakened doubts as to the existence of that 
human fraternity which emanates from the sublime 
precept of charity. 

''Even Governments which at other times have 
sanctioned the abuse have been among the first in 
recent days to advocate its extinction and these offi- 
cial efforts have led to a gradual suppression in 
various parts of the world of this barbarous slavery. 
In proof of this assertion I would cite the follow- 
ing instances: 

"On the 28th of August, 1833, Great Britain ad- 
ministered the first blow to slavery within her do- 
minions, and, in 1838, aided by her Colonies, com- 
pleted the emancipation. 

1 ' Sweden followed her example and in 1846 finally 
decreed the abolition. 

"Shortly afterwards France vigorously renewed 
her efforts to remove the blot from her escutcheon 
and on March 4, 1848, proclaimed the liberty of 




A FULL-GROWN COFFEE PLANT 



IN RIO DE JANEIRO 117 

slaves even at the cost of the losses and disasters 
that followed. 

' ' On the 3rd of the following July, Denmark took 
part in this universal movement and abolished sla- 
very, as did Portugal in 1854, whilst Eussia, the 
Kings of Tunis, and of Holland all followed this 
civilising impulse. 

"In North America, where the freeing of the 
slaves offered more resistance, waves of blood red- 
dened her soil until the act was finally consummated. 
Spain prepared measures for the abolition of sla- 
very in her remaining Colonies. The others, now 
independent States, from Mexico to Cape Horn, 
have long since given freedom to the slaves. 

1 ' Slavery now only exists in Brazil. It is only in 
Brazil that prayers are offered at the foot of the 
throne eloquently attesting the shame of the peo- 
ple at the continued existence of the institution of 
slavery. Setting aside all considerations of moral 
order, it is beyond doubt that this opprobrious treat- 
ment of a section of the population cannot be per- 
mitted to continue without serious consequences. 
The politicians who offer opposition to the pressure 
now being brought to bear from all sides will inevi- 
tably share the widespread condemnation of the 
institution itself. The question is no longer one of 
liberty of action. It has been decreed that this 
abuse must die without delay. The only remaining 
question is when and how? 



118 THE TWO AMERICAS 

"In these circumstances Your Majesty's duty and 
love of country demand that you take advantage of 
the brief period at your disposal to formulate the 
methods and the measures to be adopted for the 
complete abolition of slavery. If you fail to take 
advantage of this moment, which is not a long one, 
you will have to submit to the popular call which 
cannot be denied. In that case the methods will not 
be formulated as we desire, but will be dictated by 
the exigencies of the occasion. The procedure will 
be summary, precipitate, and probably fatal. Treat- 
ment of the matter cannot therefore be deferred 
without grave danger. The sacrifices will probably 
be great, however well inspired may be the measures 
taken. It is sure that the abolition of slavery will 
produce a certain degree of disorder and tempora- 
rily dislocate our agricultural production, whilst 
the wages of the labourer will rise and the values 
of land will fall, but if it is not in the power of 
anyone to avoid all these unfortunate conditions, 
it is at least possible to diminish their evil effects. 
If the transformation be well directed the regenera- 
tion will soon follow. The laws of compensation 
will be set in motion. I submit therefore for the 
consideration of Your Majesty the necessity of gath- 
ering around you all the men of light and leading 
in the country for the purpose of combined and in- 
telligent action in this great crisis. 

"The question is so grave, so difficult and so 



IN RIO DE JANEIRO 119 

transcendental as to arouse nation-wide interest and 
action; and any failure to give due consideration 
to the immediate necessities of the case may pro- 
duce consequences as lamentable as those which 
ensued in North America. The Brazilian people are 
in a state of palpitating and painful anxiety and 
look to their Government for prompt action in this 
serious matter. It is not desirable that the Govern- 
ment should relegate to private individuals the 
solemn responsibility and duty which rest upon it. 
Such a course can only harm society and aggravate 
the magnitude of the evil. It is, Sir, for these grave 
reasons that I have ventured to formulate my ideas, 
and in the absence of other and more acceptable 
proposals I submit the accompanying project-law, as 
the primary basis for suitable legislation. 

"I refrain from acting in my senatorial capacity 
without first appealing to the wisdom and humane 
sentiments of Your Majesty which are so well 
known, especially as, at such a crisis in national 
affairs, it would be unbecoming for me to create new 
difficulties for the Government of the country." 

(Jose Antonio Bueno.) 
Rio de Janeiro, January 23, 1866. 

In reference to the project which accompanied the 
above letter the Visconde de Taunay, in his " Rem- 
iniscences, " page 98, makes the following comment: 



120 THE TWO AMERICAS 

"The Emperor's interest in the question of sla- 
very led to his receiving the project with great favor. 
He regarded it as a scheme, based on solid consid- 
erations, calculated to assure the gradual emancipa- 
tion of the slaves, and he considered Senator Bueno, 
who was afterwards Viscount and Marquis of San 
Vicente, as a statesman possessing great breadth of 
view and of great value and weight in the councils of 
the Cabinet.' ' 

During my stay in Eio I visited the President, 
Marshal Hermes da Fonseca, and the Minister of 
Foreign Affairs, Dr. Lauro Muller, both of whom 
cordially approved the object of my visit and gener- 
ously offered in every way to further my desire to 
proceed by land from Rio de Janeiro to Montevideo, 
traversing the 2,500 miles which separate those two 
cities and visiting, en route, the States of Rio de 
Janeiro, Minas Geraes, Sao Paulo, Pirina, Santa 
Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. The Presidents 
of these States to whom I had alresfdy communicated 
my intentions also expressed their pleasure at my 
contemplated visit and on behalf of their respective 
governments placed at my disposal special cars with 
every comfort provided for the trip. Several 
friends, however, advised me to abandon my inten- 
tion to make the overland journey, which, they said, 
would be inordinately long and surrounded by dis- 
comfort and even dangers, whilst it would be pos- 



IN RIO DE JANEIRO 121 

sible to fully cover the whole territory I proposed 
to visit, quite as easily, by taking the luxurious 
steamers which trade between the places named. I 
was informed that the railway from Parana to the 
Uruguayan frontier was not completed,, that there 
was no bridge over the Uruguay Eiver, which would 
have to be crossed by canoe, and that there were 
no ordinary comforts to be obtained over a large 
part of the trying railway journey. Nevertheless, 
I rejected the friendly advice and made my trip by 
the overland route. 



CHAPTER IX 

THE CITY AND STATE OF SAO PAULO 

T TRAVELLED through some of these States 
*• until I arrived at the city of Sao Paulo, where 
I was received at the railway station by a repre- 
sentative of the State President and by the Secre- 
tary of Agriculture, who, acting on instructions 
from the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. 
Lauro Muller, extended to me a cordial welcome and 
offered me another special car in which to make 
my visit to the interior of the State. I had previ- 
ously travelled through the whole of the north of 
Brazil, but this was my first visit to Sao Paulo, 
whose energetic inhabitants have conserved the best 
traditions of their forefathers and who have dem- 
onstrated in a marked degree their enterprise and 
love of labour. f 

Sao Paulo, which is one of the most beautiful 
cities of the western hemisphere, is situated at about 
2,500 feet above sea level and is 308 miles distant 
from Rio. With a present population exceeding 
400,000, it is so rapidly extending in every direc- 
tion as to justify the well-founded belief of its 
authorities that in the early future the number of its 

122 



SAO PAULO 123 

inhabitants will increase with enormous rapidity. 
The city contains many beautiful avenues, pic- 
turesque gardens, public squares and monuments. 
The streets are well paved and there are many pa- 
latial dwellings served by a system of electric cars 
installed by a Canadian company with a capital of 
$13,000,000. Among the prominent buildings are the 
Government Palace of the State, located in the Gar- 
den Square where there are also the Ministries; 
the Palace of the Elysian Fields, which is the offi- 
cial residence of the President; the handsome Mu- 
nicipal Theatre, the Normal School, the Commercial 
School "Alvares Penteado," the Polytechnic School, 
the Museum of Ypiranga and the Station of the Sao 
Paulo Eailway Company, without a rival in South 
America. All the streets, squares and gardens are 
brilliantly illuminated by gas and electric light. 

Education in Sao Paulo is highly advanced, the 
authorities regarding the efficient instruction of 
youth as an indispensable basis for the firm and 
progressive growth of the city and of the country. 
Hence it receives preferred attention and gives re- 
markable results. The Polytechnic School, where 
I was received by its Director, Dr. Paula Souza, a 
notable Brazilian educationalist, is one of the most 
famous institutions of its kind in South America. 
The building, which is largely constructed of marble, 
is well equipped and will shortly be added to by the 
establishment of a school of medicine. The Normal 



124 THE TWO AMERICAS 

School, presided over by Professor Oscar Thomp- 
son, has more than 2,000 pupils of both sexes and 
of ages ranging from four to fourteen years. 
Amongst these boys and girls there were many 
handsome types of Europeans and Brazilians and a 
complete absence of children of negro origin. Dur- 
ing my inspection of these and other schools, it fre- 
quently occurred to me that had Mr. James Bryce 
visited them and observed the characteristics not 
only of these pupils but of the greater part of the 
inhabitants of the State of Sao Paulo, he would 
never have said in his work, ' ' South America, ' ' that 
the negro race predominated in Brazil, nor would he 
have manifested any doubts as to the future domina- 
tion of the national race in that country. 

On all sides of the Republic of Brazil and notably 
in the State of Sao Paulo one sees constant evidence 
of the increasing growth of industrial life. In Sao 
Paulo I visited the factory of the National Jute 
Cloth Company which produces coffee bags and 
woollen shawls. This concern gives employment to 
more than a thousand persons of all ages and of 
both sexes, the average daily wage earned by the 
women being one dollar and that of the men one 
dollar and fifty cents. In this factory every consid- 
eration is shown to the work-people ; and at the time 
of my visit the directors were concluding arrange- 
ments for establishing a restaurant in the building, 
in order to supply the employees with good food at 



SAO PAULO 125 

cost price, whilst other means were being adopted 
with a view to adding to the comfort of the workers. 
I also made a flying visit to another factory where 
the employees worked under the same favorable con- 
ditions, demonstrating from many points of view 
that work-people in Brazil enjoy advantages fre- 
quently denied to their co-workers in European 
countries. 

Throughout the whole of Brazil foreign skilled 
labour is highly favored. In Sao Paulo the Italians 
have amassed fortunes. In Parana the Poles are 
flourishing to an extent they could never have 
dreamed of. In Santa Catarina the German colon- 
ists are a prosperous and contented community. In 
Manaos the English have constructed the docks, 
whence the rubber is shipped to the markets of the 
world, and the North Americans have changed, for 
the better, the sanitary conditions of the rubber 
regions of the Madera, the great branch of the 
Amazon, in which parts there will be shortly con- 
structed a railway to carry the elastic product to 
the ports. Indeed, in every part of the country 
new populous centres are growing up and the signs 
of modern industrial enterprise are to be seen at 
many points where but a few years back there was 
desert waste. In three districts at the extreme 
end of Parana there have sprung up great manufac- 
turing establishments. One of them, founded by 
the Brazilian Railway Company, is constructed of 



126 THE TWO AMERICAS 

steel and is a model of mechanical enterprise. In 
this factory there are wonderful machines, appear- 
ing to be endowed almost with thinking powers, em- 
ployed to convert the corpulent pine trees into con- 
struction planks. The first installation of this es- 
tablishment involved a cost of $25,000,000 and sur- 
rounding its chimneys is a city of cosmopolitan 
character, flourishing apace. 

In company with my son, Dr. Eocha Conceicao 
and a prominent Portuguese merchant, Senhor 
Garcia, we made an automobile tour through differ- 
ent parts of the State. For the first six hours we 
crossed fertile lands in which were cultivated sugar 
and cotton and where there were also a number of 
factories. At the end of this first part of our trip 
we arrived at the beautiful city of Piraciacaba, 
built on the left bank of the torrential river of the 
same name and adjoining some beautiful water- 
falls which are also utilised to furnish power to 
various industries. In that city I was the guest of 
Dr. Conceicao, and, in order to convey some idea 
of the modern comforts enjoyed and the taste dis- 
played by the better class Brazilians, I would give 
a short description of the palatial dwelling in which 
I was entertained. It is a veritable palace con- 
taining large galleries and many rooms beautifully 
furnished for the entertainment of guests. It is con- 
structed on the brow of a hill from which there is 
a clear view of the great cascade and at the foot of 



SAO PAULO 127 

this the tranquil waters of the river which is navi- 
gable by steamers for a considerable distance. At- 
tached to the house there is a series of gardens ar- 
tistically laid out and emitting the exquisite per- 
fumes of the multi-coloured flowers. There are 
fountains and royal palms that sway majestically 
over an extension of more than twenty hectares; 
palms from Cuba, the most beautiful of the tropics, 
native acacias and cedars, passion-flower trees, 
which at the time of my visit were in full bloom, 
silk-cotton, lignum-vitaB and other trees covered 
with blossoms of different colours. These with or- 
chids of great variety formed a picture of joy to the 
eye, beautifying the walks, whilst the rays of the 
sun added to the picturesqueness of the scene. 
There are extensive avenues of royal palms of great 
height whose straight and perfect trunks give the 
appearance of columns of an oriental mosque; ave- 
nues of hundreds of metres in length formed by deli- 
cate bamboos, reminding one of the arches of an 
ancient gothic cathedral. The fruit trees indige- 
nous to this tropical zone and to these lands of 
promise are laden with the weight of their exuber- 
ant burdens, bending to the reach of one's lips which 
are tempted, while the walks and the paths bend 
and twist with graceful turns among the verdant 
lawns around the green and refreshing arches. It 
is in such surroundings that one sees in the soil of 



128 THE TWO AMERICAS 

Brazil its rich treasures, the brains of its sons, and 
the warmth of its prodigious nature. 

The city of Piraciacaba contains about 20,000 in- 
habitants of white Brazilian and European descent 
and presents a picturesque appearance owing to its 
many solid and commodious one-story buildings 
which are shaded by palms and fruit trees. Pro- 
ceeding by automobile beyond the limits of the city 
for many hours we covered lands of great fertility, 
including the famous "red land" where the coffee 
plants, at short distances apart, grow to a height of 
three metres; and in the same district there were 
corn and rice lands as well as pastures for the graz- 
ing of cattle and horses. In this direction for an 
enormous distance these flat lands with slight undu- 
lations are populated by newly-settled Italian and 
Spanish colonists who in some cases have already 
become the owners. The trip was made on a Sunday 
and there I saw these colonists in wagons, on horse- 
back, and on foot, on the roads leading to the town, 
proceeding either to the market or to Holy Mass. In 
all their faces there were the indications of robust 
health and other markedly favorable physical condi- 
tions. In one property, sown with extensive coffee 
plants, there were many small houses erected for the 
colonists and these were allotted to each family in 
accordance with its number. The conditions under 
which the cultivation is effected are alike favorable 
to the workers and to the owners of the planta- 



SAO PAULO 129 

tion, the former being permitted to sow corn, beans, 
and other alimentary products for their use and 
sale, provided they harvest a given quantity of the 
coffee crop and purchase the product at the market 
price. The charges so often made against the Bra- 
zilian coffee planters of enslaving and exploiting the 
foreign colonists are unjust and unfounded, as I 
was enabled to see on my visit, for I saw nothing 
but contentment and in many instances the colonist 
had been able to purchase the land which he had 
cultivated in the beginning on a cooperative basis. 
The price of land in this part of the State has 
risen more than in a corresponding degree to the 
rise in the price of coffee, the present value of a 
hectare of coffee land of good quality being about 
$200, whilst a coffee-plant in full production and 
well situated, including the home and machinery 
for the colonists is about $1.50, whereas some three 
years ago it was one-quarter of the present price. 
In many parts of the coffee-producing areas of the 
State, the land is insufficient in extent to permit 
of its acquisition by the colonists with the result that 
many of them are constantly changing their resi- 
dence from one estate to another, or in the event of 
an economic crisis such as occurred some years ago 
when the price of coffee suffered a heavy deprecia- 
tion, they emigrate to Argentina or return to their 
own country. This problem, which is a serious one 
for the State, is now being partially solved by con- 



130 THE TWO AMERICAS 

siderable activity in the extension of the cultiva- 
tion of rice and sugar cane and of the cattle and 
textile industries. These conditions arise to a great 
extent out of the scheme for the valorisation of 
coffee; and, irrespective of its advantages or dis- 
advantages as an economic operation, it is yet to be 
determined whether artificial means of raising and 
lowering the prices of staple products can be made 
to supersede the natural laws of supply and demand. 

In the State of Sao Paulo there are nearly 60,000 
agricultural establishments occupying an area of 
about 13,000,000 hectares and employing over 
400,000 labourers. In this area there are 700,000,- 
000 coffee plants representing a value of upwards of 
$350,000,000 and it is estimated that the production 
of coffee for the current year will exceed 12,000,000 
bags. 

At the Station of Limeira we had a special train 
the cars of which were better and more luxurious 
than the Pullmans of Europe or the United States ; 
and the roads extremely well * ballasted and con- 
structed. We touched first the rich and flourishing 
city of Campinas, which is the most prominent in 
the interior of the State of Sao Paulo. It has 40,000 
inhabitants and possesses a magnificent Gymnasium, 
a Secondary School, an Agronomic Institute and a 
Lyceum of Arts and Crafts, with a cathedral which 
is considered to be one of the handsomest in Brazil. 
This city, which a few years ago was a centre of 



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SAO PAULO 131 

yellow fever, is to-day perfectly healthy. In the 
train I met Dr. Albuquerque Lins, President of the 
State and candidate for the Vice-Presidency of the 
Eepublic. Dr. Lins is an estate owner as well as a 
public man of the highest reputation; and through 
his introduction I met a number of the owners of 
coffee plantations in the region of Eiverao Preto, 
one of whom told me of a plantation of 200,000 trees 
which gave an annual yield of eight pounds per tree, 
the average yield in other parts being not more than 
four pounds. 

On my return to Sao Paulo I paid a visit to the 
Faculty of Law which was founded by my dis- 
tinguished friend, the Marquis of San Vicente, and 
in conversation with the Director of the institution 
I suggested that the youth of Brazil representing 
the different Schools and Faculties would find it of 
advantage to visit the different countries of Span- 
ish-America where they would be received with en- 
thusiasm by the students of those Republics. I in- 
formed him that the young men of Colombia had 
initiated these excursions to Venezuela and Ecua- 
dor and that similar interchanges of courtesies had 
been effected by the students of Argentina, Chile 
and Peru. After further explaining to him that 
their respective Governments had encouraged these 
reciprocal visits which brought into personal con- 
tact the future public men of the Latin countries, 
the Chief of the Sao Paulo Faculty of Law ex- 



132 THE TWO AMERICAS 

pressed his thanks for the suggestion and gave me 
his promise that he would endeavour to confer upon 
his own students similar advantages. 

After visiting various industrial establishments 
I proceeded to make arrangements for the contin- 
uance of my journey, and as I have already said 
resolved to abandon the popular and comfortable 
route from Santos to Montevideo by travelling over- 
land through the various States in order to study 
the new commercial and industrial centres in process 
of formation and the new lines of railroad which 
are to open them up and expand the national com- 
merce. 

The State of Sao Paulo is crossed by a number 
of railroads some of which make connection with 
those of Uruguay and Bolivia whilst there are 
branches which serve the principal productive areas 
and so contribute to their increased population. 

The principal industry of Sao Paulo is coffee, 
which is largely controlled by the faceindeiros, or 
owners of extensive cultivated tracts, wherein the 
coffee is planted by colonists, generally of the immi- 
grant class, who are contracted for to produce the 
annual crop. It is stated that in the other industrial 
establishments of this State $43,000,000 are invested 
and employment given to 24,186 people, the annual 
value of the production amounting to approximately 
$40,000,000. These establishments are chiefly de- 



SAO PAULO 133 

voted to the production of sugar and the manufac- 
ture of textile fabrics. 

Public instruction is well carried out. Schools 
for primary education have been established at 
every point, whilst in the higher branches of edu- 
cation there are Colleges and Institutes as well as 
a free University which embrace all the scientific 
and professional studies. In the primary schools 
alone there are nearly 150,000 pupils. 

I have already referred to the fact that as a re- 
sult of the dependence of the entire commerce of 
the State upon the movements of the coffee market 
different industries are being created and extended, 
and these will not only act as an antidote to any 
falling off in the coffee industry but will also bring 
increased immigration and justify Mr. James 
Bryce's prediction that in fifty years Brazil will 
have fifty millions of inhabitants. To this forecast 
I would add my own prophecy that the State of 
Sao Paulo will in twenty years have a population 
numbering not less than ten million souls, of whom 
at least one-tenth will be inhabitants of the city of 
Sao Paulo. 

Land values in that city are almost equal to those 
prevailing in the prosperous cities of Europe or 
the United States. The value of one metre of front- 
age land (from 20 to 30 metres in depth) in any of 
the three central streets is from $12,000 to $16,000. 
In other streets a front metre of the same depth is 



134 THE TWO AMERICAS 

from $500 to $800; in the aristocratic residential 
section it varies from $500 to $1,500; and in the 
poorer districts from $150 to $300. A working 
man's house costs from $1,200 to $2,000 and usually 
rents at from $16 to $30 per month, while the 
dwellings of labourers usually cost from $500 to 
$1,000 and rent for $10 to $15 per month. The rent 
of middle class residences average about $150 per 
month. Good cultivable land near to the populous 
centres is worth from $1,000 to $2,000 per hectare, 
and at great distances from the centres from $100 
to $200. 

Just as the material progress of the United States 
is a source of admiration to many of the smaller 
countries of Latin- America whose people delight in 
calling themselves the "Yankees of the South," so 
in Sao Paulo the sons of the soil describe themselves 
— perhaps with more justice than in many other 
cases — as the "Yankees of Brazil." The State of 
Sao Paulo is more advanced in many respects than 
any other State in the Brazilian Federation. Espe- 
cially is this the case in agronomical studies, for 
which purpose it has several well-equipped and skill- 
fully conducted experimental stations where meteor- 
ological phenomena are also registered with profit- 
able results. It may be safely stated that there are 
many plants in this State producing extremely val- 
uable essential oils and extracts that would repay a 
hundredfold their cultivation by scientific methods. 



SAO PAULO 135 

In these as in many other sources of production val- 
uable opportunities present themselves to the enter- 
prising settler. But it is not alone to the wealth of 
its natural resources that the State of Sao Paulo 
owes its premier position. It may also claim the 
honour of having given birth to a preponderating 
majority of the great statesmen, writers and scien- 
tists of the Eepublic of Brazil and their number is le- 
gion. Whilst there are many whose works are known 
either through their public prominence or, in the 
cases of literary productions, through their transla- 
tion into different European languages, a long list 
might be furnished of great writers whose merits 
can only be recognized by those acquainted with the 
vernacular and with the history of the country. The 
writings of Buy Barbosa, of Rio Branco, of that 
polished classical scholar (former Ambassador at 
Washington) Nabuco, of Machado de Assis, of 
Graca Aranha and other distinguished authors have 
been translated into many languages, but Brazil 
justly and proudly may lay claim to the possession 
of many great writers, the national popularity of 
whose works testify abundantly to the high standard 
of culture of the people. There are Madeiros e 
Albuquerque, the Didot of the Brazilian Academy, 
journalist, poet and writer of fiction ; Affonso Celso, 
who has translated, in verse, the masterpiece of 
Thomas a Kempis; the great philologist, Joao 
Ribeiro; the brilliant historian, Capistrano de 



136 THE TWO AMERICAS 

Abreu, and many others of recent times, excluding 
reference to the long roll of litterateurs of an earlier 
period who have added glory to their country. In 
music, art and science Brazil is equally advanced, 
although in the latter branch of study Santos Du- 
mont is perhaps the most widely-known Brazilian 
inventor. 

In explaining my reasons for making the trip to 
Uruguay overland instead of by boat I should have 
mentioned an incident of the trip from New York 
to Rio de Janeiro which influenced me in that course. 
Amongst the passengers on board the Voltaire 
there was a young Chilean, Senor Juan E. Franz, 
who had taken passage to Montevideo, but, on leav- 
ing the boat at Rio, decided to proceed by land to 
his destination, a distance of 3,300 kilometres, and 
invited me to accompany him on that arduous jour- 
ney. Arriving at Sao Paulo we met another of the 
Voltaire's passengers, a Canadian gentleman named 
Roy McHarding, who had that day arrived from Rio. 
I extended to him an invitation to join us, and, 
having informed him of the hour of departure of 
the train we were leaving by on the same day, with 
Anglo-Saxon punctuality he was awaiting us at the 
station, equipped only with a small travelling bag, 
to undertake the expedition of several days travel- 
ling across the pampas and the wild forests to the 
frontier of Uruguay. As the railway was not com- 
pleted and we were obliged at different points to 



SAO PAULO 137 

cross rivers in canoes and to submit to other dis- 
comforts, the trip, which we were the first to make 
in that way, was somewhat trying and fatiguing. I 
record this incident because it reminded me of a 
similar experience during my second expedition 
from the Amazon to Colombia, via the Putumayo, 
when I met a young Englishman, Mr. Alfred Simp- 
son, then only twenty-two years old, who had al- 
ready made the journey from Ecuador to Iquitos, 
by the Napo River. I invited him to accompany me 
up the Putumayo, or lea, and on his acceptance I 
gave him charge of a steam launch and a commis- 
sion to provide the fuel for the steamer Tundama t 
which I commanded and in which, during five 
months, we navigated the surrounding desert until 
we reached the port of La Sofia at the foot of the 
Andes. Years afterwards I was informed that Mr. 
Simpson had become a great merchant in Calcutta 
where he amassed a fortune and is now residing in 
London. I related this occurrence to my com- 
panions on the journey to the Uruguayan frontier 
and consoled them by a narration of the happy 
hours spent with my former companion in spite of 
the sufferings we endured in our penetration of the 
Amazonic regions. 



CHAPTER X 

THROUGH BRAZIL BY LAND TO THE RIVER PLATE 

/^\N leaving Sao Paulo we passed through the 
^-^ cities of Jundiahy, Itayci, Capivary and 
Piraciacaba, which I had already visited and also 
through the cities of Mayrink, Sorocaba, Tatuhy, 
Itapetininga, Aracassu, Paxina and Itarare, which 
is on the border of the State of Parana. The terri- 
tory of the State of Sao Paulo is the continuation 
of an extensive and undulating plateau from the 
chain of mountains in the centre to the hills called 
the Sierra del Mar on the coast, whose formation is 
made up of red soil, clay, and rich phosphates. In 
the cities mentioned there are many colonies of Ital- 
ians, Spanish, Poles and other foreigners, all in 
robust health and thoroughly contented. I talked 
with many of them and in every pase I was im- 
pressed by their affection for the land of their adop- 
tion. Throughout these colonies comfortable and 
pretty houses of cement and tiles are being erected, 
and I have little doubt that in the course of a decade 
the southern portions of Brazil and especially the 
State of Sao Paulo will repeat the history of the 
western section of the United States through which 

138 



THROUGH BRAZIL 139 

I travelled forty years ago. Over practically the 
whole extent of these regions which embrace the 
two zones, the torrid and the temperate, and an area 
of 831,798 square kilometres there is extensive cul- 
tivation of the products of both climates, from coffee 
and sugar cane in Sao Paulo, to wheat and barley in 
Parana and Santa Catarina. On the immense plains 
of Parana, Santa Catarina and Eio Grande, cov- 
ered with abundant and nutritive grasses and irri- 
gated by numberless streams, there is a large cattle 
industry which is constantly growing, owing to the 
favorable climatic and meteorological conditions. 

In the north, and particularly in the region of the 
Amazon, the land is covered with gigantic trees in- 
cluding forests of palms which are so intertwined as 
to compel the traveler to cut his way through with 
machetes. There are also orchids of beautiful and 
varied colours, tropical flowers and a variety of 
ferns. These plains extend from the heights of the 
majestic Andes, wherein are active volcanoes, over 
the perpetual snows for a distance of from 6,000 to 
8,000 kilometres down to the sea. Here also are 
to be found quantities of birds of brilliant plumage 
and joyous song; here is the gualandat of a dark 
purple tint; the guaycan of the colour of gold; and 
flowers whose many colours form a vivid contrast 
with the verdure of the forest amongst which there 
is occasionally to be heard the echo of a shot. It is 
from the gun of the hunter, who, while filling his bag 



140 THE TWO AMERICAS 

with partridges or ducks, is at frequent intervals 
compelled to turn it on the tiger running through 
the underbrush to find waters to quench the thirst 
which the wound has caused. In these forests there 
are many species of deer and of wild boar which are 
ferocious and dangerous, besides quantities of mon- 
keys and other species of the simian order. The 
forests are watered by extensive rivers which are 
navigable for large steamers, and in these waters, 
according to Professor Agassiz, there are some 500 
varieties of fish as well as a quantity of ducks and 
other aquatic fowl that fly over their beautiful sur- 
face and rest on their currents. On the beaches 
hundreds of alligators sleep peacefully with their 
mouths open so that the flies, which form part of 
their food, may enter ; and in many places they are 
covered with turtles which leave the water to spawn 
in the hot sand and are so prolific that the soil, to 
a depth of twenty centimetres, is laden with eggs 
which the savages and the inhabitants of the small 
villages make into a savory butter that will one day 
become an important article of commerce. In this 
great ocean of verdure which offers rest to the 
traveller after the fatigue of the day spent in a 
narrow canoe under a burning sun or in torrential 
rain, there is hardly a spot without vegetation. In 
many of the forests the animals which have so far 
not been hunted by man do not run away but regard 
with curiosity the approach of a human being. The 



THROUGH BRAZIL 141 

tiger, the alligator, the vipers and the water snakes 
(which frequently attain a length of ten metres by 
two in circumference) are not dangerous. The ani- 
mal which is ready to make a ferocious attack upon 
man is the peculiar species of wild boar to which 
I have made reference. These boars destroy men 
and animals with their fangs which are as strong 
and as smooth as ivory, and, gathering in groups, 
they are generally led by one which is slightly larger 
than the rest and has a band of light color down 
the back. During the many years, however, in which 
I traversed those regions I only once found myself 
in a position of serious danger. On that occasion I 
was accompanied in my travels along the banks 
of the Putumayo by four robust savages, good 
hunters, armed with poisoned arrows. I had a 
Winchester rifle and encountering a large herd of 
these wild animals we killed a great number. The 
remainder ran away and in the excitement of the 
hunt I followed them, continuing to thin their ranks. 
I did not observe that my companions had remained 
behind and I did not notice until I was a long dis- 
tance off and heard a loud cry that the commanding 
boar, which I did not distinguish from the rest, was 
almost immediately in front of me. At that moment 
they all roared in unison and, forming themselves 
into a circle at a distance of about a hundred yards, 
proceeded to surround me so that I could only save 
myself by climbing a tree. Looking around I found 



142 THE TWO AMERICAS 

a tree with a thin trunk and only one branch, about 
three metres from the ground, which could possibly 
sustain me. I looked at it and mounted it imme- 
diately. I had only twenty cartridges and thought 
that the savage animals would ultimately get tired 
of remaining around me and would go away. But 
this did not happen. I heard another loud cry 
and saw the leading beast of the herd about fifty 
metres off behind a large evergreen that had fallen. 
The sound of his cry caused the other animals to 
gnash their tusks, producing a deafening noise which 
seemed to reverberate throughout the forest, and, 
having approached the foot of the tree which I had 
mounted, they looked up at me with their vivid and 
penetrating eyes filled with fury and with their hair 
standing up like bristles. It was really a Dantesque 
picture. They fought amongst themselves for a 
chance to eat the trunk of the tree, but on account 
of their number and want of order they were pre- 
vented from doing any harm. The chief of the ani- 
mals gave another war-cry and then the rest sepa- 
rated a few metres further away, leaving four of 
their number behind who commenced to dig their 
powerful tusks into the trunk of the tree so as to 
make it fall. I saw that I could not save my life 
except by fighting with finesse, as when I had killed 
the first four they were carried away and replaced 
by four others, which was repeated with a third 
four. As I had then but eight cartridges left I re- 



THROUGH BRAZIL 143 

solved to keep them to try and kill the leader who 
hardly showed his head above the tree, but each 
time I attempted to get him, he promptly hid him- 
self. Suddenly I caught him and with a well-di- 
rected shot which entered his brain, killed him. 
Then all the other infuriated beasts started to cry 
wildly and run away. I knew then that I was safe. 
I descended from the tree and when my attackers 
had covered a safe distance I went over to the spot 
where the head animal which I had killed and who 
had given me such a disagreeable time was lying. 
I saw that he was larger than the others, generally 
a little smaller than the domestic pig, and that he 
had a, band of a distinct colour which evidently 
served as an emblem of his qualities of leadership. 
Thus it may be seen what a wonderful thing is 
nature and its teachings, proving that amongst the 
most savage of animals there are well-formed ideas 
of order, discipline and work. 

Entering the State of Parana through the village 
of Itarare I was struck by the change in the vege- 
tation of the torrid zone which I recently saw in 
Cuba, to that of the temperate zone which presented 
itself during the trip from Cape Horn to New York. 
On one day I experienced a difference of 40 degrees 
centigrade. When I left Havana, the thermometer 
showed 31° centigrade, whilst along the shores of 
the Potomac Lake it marked 8° below zero. Here 
on the rich plains of Parana which are covered with 



144 THE TWO AMERICAS 

grama grass irrigated by rivulets and streams I 
observed a new and special vegetation — the inter- 
tropical. In place of the royal palms and the other 
tropical growths there arise the tall Parana pines 
(Araucanis brasilensis) which in some cases grow 
to a height of thirty metres as rectangular and as 
imposing as those of Bahia and Rio de Janeiro. 
The quality and formation of the land are similar to 
that of Sao Paulo, and it was easy to see that its 
surrounding conditions were peculiarly adapted to 
the cultivation of cotton on a large scale. Seeking 
information from some of the natives of the 
country on this point, I was told that dur- 
ing the colonial period, when slavery was 
enforced, there was a considerable production 
of a good quality of cotton which was con- 
verted into primitive cloths used by the inhabitants 
for their clothing, and that much of it is still to be 
seen in the ruins of the old homes. I passed through 
the village of Iacuariahyva, from which there is a 
railroad under survey to San Antonio de Platina 
and to Curinho, and through the important city of 
Castro to Ponta Grossa, whence the railway will 
cross the State of Santa Catarina to Porto Alegre, 
thence to Cacequi, in the State of Rio Grande do 
Sul, where, passing through Pelotas, it will connect 
up with the port of Rio Grande. From Ponta 
Grossa I proceeded to Curityba, the Capital of Par- 
ana, which is the commercial centre of the State 



THROUGH BRAZIL 145 

and has a population of between 25,000 and 30,000 
inhabitants, largely consisting of Poles, Italians, 
Spanish, Germans, Eussians, Portuguese, Syrians 
and foreigners. I spent one day in visiting the set- 
tlements of these widely differing people and in 
obtaining data in reference to the actual situation 
of Parana and its possibilities. In my conversations 
with many of these foreign colonists and their chil- 
dren born on Brazilian soil, I observed, particularly 
amongst the latter, their unfeigned love of Brazil 
and their insistence upon speaking the language of 
their country in preference to that of their parents. 
The city, which is built on a slight elevation, pos- 
sesses wide thoroughfares and is surrounded by for- 
ests of corpulent pines and prairies of abundant 
grass. At the top of one of the hills there is a 
reservoir with a covered aqueduct extending for a 
distance of 36 kilometres which provides the city 
with excellent water. The person in charge of the 
water-works which also have an extensive and beau- 
tiful garden is a Pole who came to Parana about 
thirty years ago. In the course of my talk with 
him I asked if he had no desire to leave Parana and 
return to his own country, and his reply, perfectly 
frank and ingenuous, furnishes an apt illustration 
of the characteristics and sentiments of all the for- 
eign settlers in these rich Brazilian States. He said : 
"We, the Polish, have no fatherland; the Russians, 
the Prussians and the Austrians have snatched it 



146 THE TWO AMERICAS 

from us. In this beautiful Parana we have found a 
paternal hospitality and land for our homes and our 
cultivation which belong to us ; and whilst we always 
think and live in hope of a reconstruction of Poland 
we are happy and continually prospering here 
where our prospects have been made still brighter 
by the railroad which the Brazilian Eailway Com- 
pany is now constructing across the States of Santa 
Catarina and Eio Grande do Sul to Matto Grosso." 
I then asked him whether the sons of the Poles loved 
Brazil more than the land of their fathers and 
whether they chiefly intermarry with their own race 
or with Brazilians and other foreign colonists. ' ' Our 
sons, ' ' he replied, * ' remember nothing of Poland and 
the same thing applies to the younger immigrants 
of other nations who have become more ardent and 
enthusiastic Brazilians than the natives themselves. 
They take pride in their new nationality and work 
for the glory of the country. As a general rule 
the marriages are contracted in their own colony, 
but many of them make alliances with Brazilians, 
Italians, Spanish and other colonists, and are pro- 
ducing a race of vigorous and intelligent youth. ' ' 

I visited the Italian colony outside of the city and 
in all my conversations with those people I received 
similar replies to my questions. In the Italian col- 
ony, however, I observed that the families were 
larger with a closer union amongst them than in the 
others. In one house, on the estate of Mr. Manuel 



THROUGH BRAZIL 147 

de Macedo, I talked at length with the head of a 
numerous family who with his wife emigrated from 
Venice to Parana thirty years ago and to-day has 
ten children, all married, each of whom also has a 
family. Eighteen members of this numerous family 
were present at the time of my visit, whilst some 
of the sons and sons-in-law were working in Sao 
Paulo and Buenos Aires, remitting part of their 
earnings to increase the family land-holdings which 
they had been able to purchase and cultivate. Fol- 
lowing their patriarchal customs, parents, grand- 
parents and grandchildren all lived in the same 
house, and by a system of cooperation the entire 
family worked and shared in the ownership of the 
land. Supreme harmony seemed to reign amongst 
them and those who were absent to work under more 
favorable conditions usually returned to the family 
home after the harvests of coffee or wheat, accord- 
ing to the country in which they were working. On 
the day of my visit preparations were being made 
for a feast to celebrate the marriage of a girl mem- 
ber of the family. The bride, a good-looking girl of 
eighteen, was born in Parana, and when I asked her 
if her fiance was an Italian or a Brazilian, she said, 
1 ' I am a Brazilian and I think my fiance is one also, ' ' 
when her father interposed with the statement that, 
"Your fiance was born in Venice but came here as 
a small child and to-day is proud to claim Brazilian 
nationality." I then enquired of the head of the 



148 THE TWO AMERICAS 

family, a man of sixty years of age, of striking 
vigour and robust health, whether he desired to re- 
turn to Italy, and with the same love of his adopted 
country as is possessed by the younger members of 
these foreign colonies, he said: "The love of one's 
native land is never lost; it is like the love for one's 
mother. It would be a pleasure for me to pay a 
visit to Venice with its beautiful air, sky and sea; 
but to do that I would have to leave my children 
and grandchildren and beautiful Parana, my second 
fatherland, where I desire my bones should rest 
after I am gone.' , 

During my stay in Curityba I made an automo- 
bile tour of the surrounding country in the company 
of Mr. Antonio de Souza Mello, one of the principal 
merchants of the city, and with the representative 
of Mr. Macedo, who owns the large industrial estab- 
lishment in which many of the colonists have their 
homes; and the latter gave me much interesting 
data as to the value of land in Parana and the 
exploitation of the pine-wood industry of the State. 
The saw mill of the Miriguava estate, two leagues 
distant from the city and four from Curityba (the 
Brazilian league has six kilometres), is part of a 
property of 2,123 hectares in extent, a large portion 
of which is divided into lots of five, eight and ten 
alqueires,* for sale to the colonists on easy terms 
of payment. The renting price of these various 

* Space bushels. 



THROUGH BRAZIL 149 

divisions or areas of land which may be respectively- 
used for agriculture or cattle raising varies from 
200 to 400 milreis (one milrei equals one-third of a 
dollar) with special conditions for the ultimate ac- 
quisition of ownership by the settler. On this prop- 
erty there are also mate lands. This yerba mate, 
which is largely used as a stimulating tea in Parana, 
Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Uruguay, Para- 
guay, Argentina and Chile, is a natural growth of 
the soil where the pine flourishes and is an impor- 
tant article of production. After the trees are cut 
and the weeds are burned the mate covers the whole 
ground. The leaves are subsequently gathered in, 
dried in the sun and then taken to the plantations 
where they are roasted and pulverised ready to be 
packed in small bags or sacks of cow-hide for ship- 
ment, and the annual value of the exports of this 
product from the State of Parana alone is upwards 
of $6,000,000. The richest lands in the State of 
Parana are those located near the cities of Itarare, 
Yaguariaybe, Castro, Ponta Grossa and Curityba. 

From the city of Curityba I returned to Ponta 
Grossa where I met Mr. Hugh M. Taylor, who for 
many years was in charge of the Mexican Railways 
but resigned his position there to become the Gen- 
eral Manager of the lines of the Brazilian Railway 
Company. During my stay in Mexico, as Minister 
of Colombia, I had several opportunities of appre- 
ciating the great capacity and high qualities of this 



150 THE TWO AMERICAS 

gentleman who was much respected by the Mexi- 
can people, and I was glad to avail myself of the 
proffered hospitality of a special car in which he 
accompanied me to the frontier of Uruguay. In 
Ponta Grossa I spent one day in studying the con- 
ditions of the land and of the colonies which were 
in the same flourishing condition as those of Curity- 
ba and other parts of the State. The city itself is 
in course of formation with homes being constructed 
for its various foreign residents, all of whom gave 
evidence of their general happiness induced by the 
advantages of a healthy climate, prosperous condi- 
tions and generous and protective laws, and here 
again, irrespective of their diverse nationalities, the 
Brazilian language had become the medium of con- 
versation. By these means these immigrants and 
their offspring become assimilated with the people 
of the country and thus help to assure the pre- 
domination of Latin ideals throughout the southern 
Eepublics of the American continent. In Ponta 
Grossa I visited the picturesque , cemetery which is 
situated on a hill. At the entrance gate I met an 
Italian whom I asked how long he had lived in 
Parana, whether he was happy and if he had any 
desire to return to his native country? His reply 
was typical of all the other replies I received to 
similar questions. He said, "I am now sixty years 
old and came to Parana with my wife forty years 
ago. We have ten sons born here all of whom are 



THROUGH BRAZIL 151 

married and we have twelve grandchildren. I am 
still strong enough to work and although I have not 
forgotten my beloved native Italy, I do not think 
of returning there as with my sons and my grand- 
children who are enthusiastic Brazilians we are all 
very happy in this country. 

"As you are going to visit the cemetery," he 
added, "I would like to present to you a great Ve- 
netian architect who has designed most of the beau- 
tiful monuments." I entered the cemetery where 
the many artistic marble and cement monuments, 
covered with flowers, gave me the most grateful im- 
pressions and reminded me of the cemeteries of 
Italy where the religion of the tombs is cultivated 
with taste and feeling. At the foot of one of the 
monuments there was seated the man whom the col- 
onist had described to me as the "great architect." 
He was partaking of his luncheon of bread, cheese 
and biscuit, with the red wine which the Italian 
colonists in Parana manufacture. He was an elderly 
man of small stature, with broad shoulders, black 
eyes and a heavy beard and moustache, having the 
appearance of one of the old Doges of Venice. I 
asked him to tell me his history and impressions of 
Parana and of its present and future situation. "I 
am a Venetian, ' ' he said. ' l My business is to design 
and erect cemetery monuments which furnishes me 
with a sufficient income to enable my family to live 
well. I came to Parana forty years ago. During 



152 THE TWO AMERICAS 

the first thirty years my occupation brought me but 
scant reward owing to the poverty of the State 
which had practically no means of communication. 
Since the advent of the railway which Mr. Farquhar 
has caused to be extended in so many directions there 
is wealth for all so that the poor as well as the 
rich indulge in elaborate memorial stones to mark 
the resting place of their beloved ones. So far as 
returning to my country is concerned, I shall always 
love Venice, but my ties, my eighteen descendants 
with me, owe their gratitude to this great country 
which has given us asylum and happiness." 

"Do you not feel a sadness amongst all these 
tombs ?" I asked him. 

1 ' No, sir, ' ' he replied, ' ' on the contrary I love the 
tranquility of my surroundings and I imagine my- 
self conversing with those who are here. When the 
sun goes down and the shadows of night appear I 
revel in my thoughts of nature and return to my 
home to rest for the preparation of the following 
day's work. Here among the graves I take my 
lunch every day so that I practically live among 
the dead. I am present at all the funerals and I see 
by the acts and the faces of those who are mourning 
for some beloved one that when man is suffering he 
is more generous and is more benevolent than at 
other times." 

In pursuance of my investigations into the ma- 
terial conditions of Parana I thought it desirable to 



THROUGH BRAZIL 153 

elicit the opinions of all classes and therefore de- 
cided to interrogate even this philosophic and sen- 
timental builder of monuments as to his views on 
the subject. 

"What are your opinions," I asked him, "of the 
respective value as settlers and of the personal 
characteristics of the Italian, Polish and Spanish 
colonists existing in Parana?" "My opinion is," 
he replied, "that the Italians acquire greater force 
than the rest because of their unity which is exhib- 
ited in the fact that in many cases two or three 
generations live under the same roof. I like the 
Spaniards on account of their intuitive courtesy 
and loyalty, although their southern temperaments 
frequently cause them to resort to the knife or the 
dagger during their quarrels amongst themselves; 
the Poles are happy and broad minded but their 
extreme economy leads them to deprive themselves 
of the necessary comforts of life ; whilst the "tudes" 
as the Italians call the Germans, are very hard- 
working, though aggressive and selfish." 

"Has the country made much progress during the 
past ten years and are its prospects improving?" I 
enquired. "Up to five years ago," he answered, 
"there was great misery among the colonists in 
Parana, but during the latter half of the past decade 
the gradual extension of railways has given the 
colonists abundant and remunerative work. Other 
factors which have contributed to this result are 



154 THE TWO AMERICAS 

the increased production and demand for yerba 
mate and the liberal facilities extended by the Gov- 
ernment and the Brazilian Railway Company for 
the colonists to become the owners of their land. 
These circumstances have combined to place them 
all in a situation of prosperity. ' ' 

On the following day, with Mr. Taylor, the Man- 
ager of the Eailway, I continued my journey, pass- 
ing through the growing cities of Entre Rios and 
Yrati, the latter being on the borders of the State 
of Santa Catarina, and through the villages of San 
Juan, Herval and Ytarare, of this State. The coun- 
try traversed on this trip contains extensive forests 
of pine trees which impede the growth of other 
varieties and constitute a reserve for the world's 
supply of this wood which is becoming scarcer in 
Europe and the United States. In these districts 
colonies are being formed of Poles, Spaniards and 
Italians, most of whom possess families of healthy 
children who largely outnumber the adults. There 
are also representatives of other races* and religions, 
but the great majority of the settlers are of Polish 
nationality, the most important township in course 
of formation being significantly called Polopolis. 
In addition to a great pumber of saw-mills which 
manipulate the pine and manufacture the fine woods 
found in other forests into furniture there are im- 
mense prairies covered with good grass and other 
lands adapted to the cultivation of cotton, although 



THROUGH BRAZIL 155 

for hundreds of leagues there is not a single human 
habitation to be seen. The natural wealth of the 
soil, however, leaves no doubt that with the spread 
of progress, which is advancing in this country to- 
ward the west, there will at no distant date be a 
wave of new immigration to penetrate and cultivate 
these beautiful and rich lands. 

Passing through the forests and approaching the 
moderate elevations whence the Iguazu Eiver flows 
and forms imposing cataracts the vegetation changes 
in aspect. Here the pines disappear and are re- 
placed by gigantic cedars and other fine woods of 
value. In no part did I find sterile land. The loco- 
motive passes through the heart of these virgin 
forests, their shrill whistles appearing to announce 
that they had taken possession of them for the bene- 
fit of civilisation and leaving an impression on the 
mind that the methods of force and of tyranny, in 
earlier days employed in the acquisition of new 
territory, had been substituted by the more peace- 
ful and civilising influences of the railway which 
was destined to open up for the service of human- 
ity these fertile regions in which the foot of civilised 
man had never trodden. Amongst the modern rail- 
road conquerors, who by their enterprise and skill 
have been able to cut into the primitive undergrowth 
of the soil, to perforate the mountains, and to cross 
unfordable rivers in hitherto unexplored portions 
of the American continent, it is right to mention 



156 THE TWO AMERICAS 

such names as those of Minor Keith, Cisneros and 
Farquhar, who have done so much to extend the 
cultivable areas and to increase the prosperity, re- 
spectively, of the countries of Central America, Co- 
lombia and Brazil. 

Leaving the banks of the Iguazu and descending 
the mountain on whose summit there grows the Bra- 
zilian pine of enormous height, we arrived at the 
banks of the River Pescado which, like the Iguazu, 
forms a number of cascades, and at the points where 
there was a great deal of stone I saw numbers of 
turtles which indicated our near approach to the 
copious Uruguay. In these regions there are but 
few colonists and occasional primitive dwellings of 
the track- walkers, who are called "turmas," a Por- 
tuguese word signifying potato-dwellers. The vege- 
tation is inter-tropical and the beauties of the for- 
ests so natural that my son Pedro was impelled to 
take numbers of photographs. The impressions 
produced in the mind of the traveller while tra- 
versing this wonderful country are like those which 
occur to one in the Amazonic regions. I recognized 
here the same kind of trees upon which I had so 
often swung my hammock for sleeping; and they 
appeared like old friends whom I wished to embrace 
and to converse with. As one further descends the 
mountain, the Pescado River, which is a tributary 
of the Uruguay, increases in the volume of water, 
the cascades disappear, and on all sides one sees 



THROUGH BRAZIL 157 

the luxuriant sugar-cane, orange, paw-paw and other 
tropical trees whose valuable timber will no doubt 
become the source of a great industry in the near 
future. We gradually came nearer to the territory 
of Eio Grande do Sul, in whose pampas as in those 
of the Argentine and Uruguayan Eepublics, cattle 
and horse-breeding are conducted on a large and 
profitable scale, while the natives and the German 
colonists of the State of Santa Catarina, numbering 
more than 250,000, devote themselves to agriculture. 

The railway lines now operating in the States 
of Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio 
Grande do Sul, belonging to the Brazilian Railway 
Company or controlled by it, are : 

The Sorocahana Railway, in the State of Sao 
Paulo, which has 1,300 kilometres, of which 434 form 
the main line between Sao Paulo and Itarare. 

The Railway of Parana, in the State of that 
name, with 405 kilometres, of which 300 kilometres 
comprise the line from Punta Grossa to the port of 
Paranagua. 

The Railway of the North of Parana, 43 kilo- 
metres, from Curityba to Rio Blanco. 

The Railway from Sao Paulo to Rio Grande, 
in the States of Parana and Santa Catarina, 883 
kilometres, extending from Itarare to the Uruguay 
River, where there is being constructed a bridge of 
half a kilometre in length, which will be shortly fin- 



158 THE TWO AMERICAS 

ished when the trains of this road will pass over 
the lines of the Rio Grande. 

The Railway of Sao Paulo-Rio Grande, a branch 
of the San Francisco, in the State of Santa Catarina, 
which has 318 kilometres in nse and extends from 
Tres Barras to San Francisco. 

The Railway of Dona Teresa Cristina on the 
Uruguayan coast of the State of Santa Catarina, 
which has 111 kilometres. 

The Railway of the Auxiliary Company of the 
Brazilian Railway Company, in the State of Rio 
Grande do Sul, which has a total extension of 2,253 
kilometres, of which, on the main line from the Uru- 
guay River to Santa Ana de Libramento there are 
813 kilometres. This line goes to the ports of Rio 
Grande and Puerto Alegre and connects with the 
railways of Argentina in Uruguay in Santa Ana de 
Libramento. 

For the Brazilian Railway Cormpany there are 
also the following lines in course of construction : 

From Tres Barras to Puerto de la Union, 133 
kilometres. This line is an extension of that of 
San Francisco, mentioned above. 

That of Itayci, in the Sorocabana line, to Cam- 
pinhas. This line has 31 kilometres and is nearly 
finished. 

From the Station of Salto Grande, on the Soro- 



THROUGH BRAZIL 159 

cabana Eailway, to the Puerto de Tibyrica, 400 kilo- 
metres, of which 100 are already constructed. 

From the Station of Yaguariahyba, on the Sao 
Paulo-Rio Grande Railway to Curinhos, 220 kilo- 
metres. 

The same company has concessions for the fol- 
lowing lines not yet under construction : 

From Puerto de la Union to the mouth of the 
River Iguazu, 740 kilometres. 

From San Francisco to Puerto Alegre, 650 kilo- 
metres, and an extension of the railway of the 
North of Parana from the Branco River to Faxina, 
in Sorocabana, through Serro Azul. 

The Southern Brazilian Lumber and Coloniza- 
tion Company, a subsidiary of the Brazilian Rail- 
way Company, owns an aggregation of about 3,000,- 
000 hectares of land distributed through the States 
of Sao Paulo, Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio 
Grande do Sul, and this is sold to the colonists with 
a view to their subsequent ownership at a price 
which covers the cost of the roads crossing them 
and of the expense incurred in the preparation of 
plans, etc. Generally the colonists acquire proprie- 
tary right in these lands after two or three years of 
work. The wage of a day labourer averages $1.20 
per day, and the average railway rates are, for 



160 THE TWO AMERICAS 

second-class passengers, one cent and a quarter per 
kilometre for the first fifty kilometres, with frac- 
tional reductions for greater distances. 

The greater part of the land extending from 
Santos to the port of San Francisco is peculiarly 
suitable to the growth of bananas which are but 
little cultivated in those regions notwithstanding the 
great demand for that fruit in all parts of the 
world. In the United States its consumption 
reaches a money value of $200,000 per day, and the 
United Fruit Company, which owns a fleet of ves- 
sels for its transportation, earns an annual dividend 
of more than 10 per cent, upon a capital of $40,- 
000,000 invested in plantations in Costa Rica, Guate- 
mala and Colombia. Another thing which attracted 
my attention in Brazil is that the green plantain is 
not used as a food for the people as is done on the 
coasts of the Sea of the Antilles and in the valleys 
of the interior, although analyses have shown that 
it is a better and more nutritious food, as well as 
cheaper, than potatoes or whea*t. I remember hav- 
ing read in the travels of Stanley, "Through the 
Dark Continent," that when he arrived in the 
Kingdom of Uganda he and his personnel of the 
expedition were attacked by dysentery of which 
they were speedily cured by taking a soup made 
from green plantains, on the advice of the King. 
The banana also possesses excellent qualities as a 
food, as may be seen by the healthy condition of the 



THROUGH BRAZIL 161 

savage tribes of the Amazon who live almost exclu- 
sively on that fruit in its green state, and when the 
mothers are unable to nurse their children they 
give them a soup made from it. Even in Europe 
to-day medical men are prescribing the banana as 
a healthy food for delicate children. There is now 
proceeding in Brazil a strong agitation against the 
high price of food-stuffs and a campaign in favor 
of the popular use of the green banana which can 
also be made into flour. In fact this is already being 
done on a small scale and will probably be so devel- 
oped as to make the banana a rival of wheat, owing 
to the low price at which the flour may be produced. 
A banana tree producing 300 bunches of the fruit 
at a cost of twenty cents per annum, will give 25 
kilos of exportable flour. 

The climate of the State of Parana in summer 
(from December to March) is about 24° centigrade, 
and in winter 15°, and whilst the cold is somewhat 
intense at the highest points snow seldom falls. In 
the colder regions the colonies are chiefly made up 
of Poles, Italians, Germans and Spanish, and in the 
State of Bio Grande do Sul there is a Jewish colony 
established by the late Baron Hirsch. In all three 
of the important States of Sao Paulo, Santa Cata- 
rina and Bio Grande do Sul there are immense 
tracts of fertile lands, practically unpopulated, 
available for the cultivation of wheat, alfalfa, and 
other products of the temperate zone. The cultiva- 



162 THE TWO AMERICAS 

tion of rice has already begun, and I am of the 
opinion that cotton will ultimately form an impor- 
tant article of production in these lands. 

On arriving at the pampas of Rio Grande do Sul, 
where the lands are grassy with occasional undula- 
tions, I knew we were advancing in the direction of 
the immense plains of the River Plate which con- 
tinue to the foot of the Andes. In those almost illim- 
itable areas there are hundreds of thousands of 
cattle and horses grazing. The cattle are fattened 
to produce jerked beef which is the principal article 
of export of this State for the northern parts of 
Brazil, and the horses retained in the country are 
employed to carry the products of the soil from one 
part of the State to the other. There are also large 
numbers of beautiful ostriches which do not run 
away at the sight of man, seeming to know that it 
is prohibited to kill them or to catch them and take 
their feathers. These birds form a kind of police 
for the district and destroy insects calculated to do 
harm, and for this reason the 'inhabitants protect 
them in every way. At the station of Cruz Alta, 
where I separated from Mr. Taylor, who went on to 
Puerto Alegre, I saw a train-load of Polish and 
Italian colonists, who were about to establish them- 
selves in their respective colonies. Amongst them 
were persons of all ages, children being in the 
majority. In their faces one saw the signs of the 
proletariat, of necessity and even of misery, and 



THROUGH BRAZIL 163 

their glances seemed to convey a hatred of the 
better classes. But little by little, when the benefi- 
cent climate of this America and its abundant prod- 
ucts and advantages have satisfied their material 
and moral hunger, these colonists, many of them 
anarchists, will be completely changed in character. 
These territories, almost uninhabited, are only part 
of many others in Ibero-America to which immigra- 
tion will flow from Europe to an extent hitherto 
unknown, and it is with this in mind that I 
have repeated on so many occasions that the 
future of humanity, in the present century, is in 
America. 

I ended my lengthy excursion through Brazil at 
Santa Ana de Libramento, on the frontier of Uru- 
guay, and I left the country with the firm conviction 
that it has entered solemnly and resolutely upon 
the path of order, civilisation and justice, and that 
the physical, moral and intellectual Brazilian type 
is becoming stronger by the assimilation of its for- 
eign colonists with the natives of the country, pre- 
cisely as has been the case in the United States, 
Argentina, Chile and other countries of this hemi- 
sphere. But, if the material advance of the country 
is undergoing daily improvement there is an equal 
extension of general knowledge and culture pro- 
ceeding amongst the better classes. One of the fea- 
tures of Brazil is the cultivation of the knowledge 
of foreign languages of which most educated Bra- 



164 THE TWO AMERICAS 

zilians generally speak three or four. This is to 
some extent due to the fact that the Portuguese 
tongue is less universally known than that of other 
countries, thus rendering it necessary for those who 
travel or come into contact with foreigners to know 
other languages as well as their own. In Brazil, 
however, the study of languages is not merely ele- 
mentary, to be used alone for purposes of conver- 
sation, as frequently occurs in Holland, Switzer- 
land and some other countries, the English, French, 
German, Spanish and Italian classics being better 
known to the Brazilians than to the people of any 
other single nation. 

These facts will not be new to those who know 
Brazil and its educated classes, but in view of the 
misconception prevailing as to the character, gen- 
eral standard of culture and qualities of the Bra- 
zilian and other Latin- American nations amongst 
those personally unacquainted with them it is per- 
haps desirable that they should be placed on record, 
particularly in the United States, where the condi- 
tions of many of the great Eepublics of the South 
are, to put it mildly, but little known. The great 
importance of Brazil to the commercial markets of 
the world and the recent enormous extension of the 
commercial relations of the United States with that 
Eepublic imperatively demand a closer intercourse 
and a better mutual understanding between them. 
It is, unfortunately, to the hitherto prevailing ignor- 



THROUGH BRAZIL 165 

ance in the United States of the conditions of the 
great southern Republics and to the prejudices born 
of that ignorance that the friendly and commercial 
relations of the two countries have not attained 
those proportions which circumstances justify. 



CHAPTER XI 

THE ORIENTAL REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY 

"La Banda Oriental." 

Tj^ROM the Brazilian frontier I entered Uru- 
A guayan territory and passing through vast 
tracts of rich meadow land arrived at Rivera, a city 
noted for its beautiful parks, modern houses and 
abundance of trees, where on all sides I heard the 
delightful Castilian language and saw in the fea- 
tures of its inhabitants distinct signs of Spanish 
origin. From Rivera to Montevideo it is a railway 
journey of 500 kilometres across a flat country di- 
vided into lots by wire fencing, enclosing thousands 
of head of cattle and sheep and horses feeding on 
its nutritious pastures. The natural grass grows to 
a metre in height, and on this grass a young steer 
is fattened in four months. The whole of this region 
is exceptionally rich and is watered by the Rio 
Negro. 

It has been said by a famous writer that "the 
blood that has flown through Latin- American revo- 
lutions would form but a small rivulet by compari- 
son with the oceans of blood that have been shed in 

166 




SR. DON JOSE BATTLE Y ORDONEZ, PRESIDENT OF URUGUAY 



REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY 167 

Europe to indulge the ambitions of despots or to 
satisfy the righteous claims of freedom." That 
truthful observation may be applied with peculiar 
force to the Republic of Uruguay, which, during its 
brief existence as an independent State, has passed 
through many periods of stress and storm ; but it is 
invariably these occasions of national grief which 
evolve the principles" of liberty, order and justice, 
so indispensable to the survival and welfare of a 
nation. The civil wars, in most cases waged in the 
cause of human liberty, which mark the history of 
the Latin- American countries, are apt to be magni- 
fied as indications of the unformed character of 
Ibero-Americans, by reason of their comparatively 
recent occurrences, just as the proportions and san- 
guinary nature of European wars and revolutions 
are unconsciously diminished through the remote- 
ness of the period in which they took place. 
Whether or not it be true that the evolution of the 
Uruguayan Republic has been hastened, or even 
impelled, by the many internecine struggles which 
have torn and distressed the people, it is beyond 
question to-day that the Republic has entered upon 
an era of permanent peace based on the highest 
principles of justice and of the respect of all legiti- 
mate rights. Uruguay is in South America what 
Switzerland, Belgium and Holland are in Europe. 
Of small territorial extension and population, its 
people may justly claim to have attained a degree 



168 THE TWO AMERICAS 

of civilisation and progress equal to their most 
powerful neighbours. 

In commenting upon the Laws and Constitution of 
Uruguay Anatole France expressed the opinion that 
the Uruguayan nation was capable of creating "a 
superior type of civilisation." The Constitution 
which is the only one of the South American Ee- 
publics that has remained unaltered since its formu- 
lation, eighty years ago, embodies the fullest liberty 
and protection for all, irrespective of race or re- 
ligion. Treating the same point M. E. Stocquart, 
the distinguished Belgian jurist, in his work, "Bel- 
gian Law, ' ' says : ' ' Uruguay, from the point of view 
of Civil Eights, is the most advanced of all the 
countries of South America"; and when we look 
at the wise provisions and high civic ideals con- 
tained in the Constitution and in subsequent legis- 
lation there would appear to be abundant justifica- 
tion for M. Stocquart 's opinion. The Laws of 
Uruguay, as in many American States, are codi- 
fied; and some of these Codes migjit well be used 
as models for the legislators of other countries oc- 
cupying a more prominent position in the world than 
the Eepublic of Uruguay. Of its Commercial Code 
a great Italian master has said that it is "one of 
the most notable legislative works of our time, wor- 
thy of being used as a model by all who have to 
legislate on Mercantile Law. ' ' The Penal and Eural 
Codes are equally replete with sound and far-see- 



REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY 169 

ing provisions. The former is largely based upon 
the doctrines of Zamerdelli, Mancini and Savelli and 
the Spanish and Chilean Codes ; whilst, in regard to 
the Rural Code, M. Lepelletier, in his criticisms of 
the French Rural Code, stated that "it is possible 
to envy nations who, like Uruguay, have known how 
to produce a work of such utility in a country where 
agriculture constitutes the main source of natural 
production. Commenced in 1873, the Rural Code of 
Uruguay was promulgated in July, 1875, and re- 
vised three years later ; and it has never since then 
ceased to be changed and improved by Laws and 
Decrees which, together with the text of the orig- 
inal, make it to-day a legislative achievement of 
the highest value." Equally wise and just are the 
Codes relating to Civil and Criminal Procedure as 
well as the Military and Administrative Codes which 
regulate and provide equitable laws on the different 
subjects with which they respectively deal. 

Without doubt Uruguay is one of the healthiest 
and most beautiful countries of South America, dif- 
fering from many in appearance through the ab- 
sence of the snow-covered mountains which appear 
so frequently in the southern portion of the Con- 
tinent. The country is flat, with slight undulations, 
serpented, so to speak, by something like five hun- 
dred rivers and streams which make it extremely 
fertile. In Uruguayan territory, which covers an 
area of about 72,000 square miles, there are no large 



170 THE TWO AMERICAS 

desert tracts of undeveloped country such as may 
be found in the greater number of the South Amer- 
ican Eepublics, although there are virgin lands 
merely awaiting the hand of the labourer to till 
the soil in order to extend the cultivation of the 
nutritious and natural grasses abounding in all di- 
rections for stock-raising purposes. The climate 
is truly admirable, the average temperature in win- 
ter being only 12°; in spring 19°; in summer 
22°; and in autumn 13°, all centigrade; and statis- 
tics show that it has a lower rate of mortality in 
relation to population than Germany, Austria, 
France, the British Isles, Italy and many other 
countries on the other side of the Atlantic ; and less 
than in Argentina, Chile and others on the Ameri- 
can Continent. Uruguay, from the American point 
of view, is a small country, although it embraces a 
larger area than many important countries of 
Europe. The ownership of the land is not as much 
divided as it should be, but as Mr. Farquhar has 
already implanted a system of colonization in Par- 
ana, the Government and the railroad companies of 
Uruguay have already purchased large tracts for 
the purpose of introducing a form of colonization 
which will ultimately give to the rapidly increasing 
number of settlers full ownership. 

The principal industry of the country is stock- 
raising, which is constantly increasing in extent and 
quality through the growing importation of animals 



REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY 171 

of a better strain from Europe. The real improve- 
ment in this industry in the Uruguayan Bepublic 
commenced in 1870 when Seiior Jose Buschenthal 
brought into the country eleven Durham bulls, two 
cows, two steers, one pure Swiss male calf, and one 
Ayrshire bull, which he presented to Mr. Eicardo 
B. Hughes. These pedigree animals, with others, 
were devoted to the refinement of the locally bred 
stock, and this process was continued for many 
years until the death of Mr. Hughes, when his son 
largely extended this field of operation, and to-day 
he is but one of many who produce stock reputed 
to be equal to the best in Europe or the United 
States. The same results have followed in the pro- 
duction of sheep which is almost an equally impor- 
tant Uruguayan pastoral industry. Another bene- 
factor of the country in the direction of stock-rais- 
ing was the late Mr. Thomas Howard, a native of 
Boston, who was at one time an officer in the United 
States Navy. This gentleman devoted himself, at 
great expense and entirely for the benefit of the 
country, to the introduction of valuable pedigree 
stock from Europe; and that work is still being 
continued by his widow and sons who are greatly 
respected throughout the Republic. All these pio- 
neers married native daughters of the country and 
their descendants are ardent and patriotic Uru- 
guayans, though not unmindful of the fact that 



172 THE TWO AMERICAS 

they, themselves, are of at least partially foreign 
origin. 

The present estimate of the national live-stock 
industry shows that the country has about 8,000,000 
head of cattle, 25,000,000 sheep and about 600,000 
hogs, the numbers of other animals being compara- 
tively insignificant. These figures bear a numerical 
relation of about one-fourth, in cattle and sheep, 
to the figures of the Argentine Eepublic, where 
horse-breeding is likewise conducted very exten- 
sively, although the proportion and number of ani- 
mals bred from pedigree stock is naturally in a 
much larger ratio in the Argentine Eepublic. There- 
fore, whilst Uruguay is not a serious competitor of 
Argentine in supplying the foreign meat markets, 
it is the largest producer of beef extract and jerked 
beef, no less than 1,000,000 head of cattle having 
been slaughtered during the past year, largely for 
the supply of material to the Liebig and other 
factories of a similar kind operating in the Eepublic. 
Sheep raising is also an important factor in Uru- 
guayan production and a large portion of its wool 
exports finds its way into the Boston market. In 
touching on the question of wool it may be of in- 
terest to importers of that commodity in the United 
States, where there are very large consumers, to 
know that the lack of intercourse existing between 
the latter country and the Eiver Plate Eepublics is 
one of the principal causes of the high price of wool, 



REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY 173 

which is seldom purchased by consumers in the 
United States direct from the producer, owing 
chiefly to the absence of personal representation on 
the spot. Wool not purchased direct by European 
buyers, who are largely represented in the markets 
of the Eiver Plate, is generally shipped to Europe 
"to await orders." The consequence is that Euro- 
pean speculators invariably hold the wool for higher 
prices. But even if market quotations remain un- 
changed the American importer who usually pur- 
chases the Eiver Plate wool shipped "to await or- 
ders, ' ' has to pay the additional freight involved in 
the re-shipment and necessarily an increased brok- 
erage. From this statement of fact it may be seen 
that in this, as in many other directions, closer 
commercial contact between the United States and 
the Latin Eepublics of the South would largely aug- 
ment international trade. 

Approaching the Uruguayan coast by steamer a 
delightful impression is made upon the traveller. 
The splendid capital, Montevideo, is built in the 
form of an amphitheatre, enclosing handsome mod- 
ern edifices and gardens, which present a still more 
picturesque effect when one enters within the gates 
of the city itself. There may be seen broad avenues, 
wide squares, and artistically designed parks, fra- 
grant with the perfume of the flowers that belong 
to this rich land, and handsome monuments that give 
their note of art and beautify the walks of this 



174 THE TWO AMERICAS 

delightful city. There also is the never-ending and 
triumphant procession of Uruguay's lovely women 
who carry in their lips and in their eyes the dis- 
tinguished qualities of their Spanish ancestresses. 
One of the most striking characteristics of the peo- 
ple of Montevideo is their hospitable and sympa- 
thetic treatment of foreigners who, regardless of 
origin or language, are made to feel as much at 
home as though they were in the land of their 
birth. 

Montevideo is particularly European in appear- 
ance owing to the fact that its buildings and streets 
have been modelled upon the lines of the great cities 
of Europe, whence have been chosen the most beau- 
tiful specimens of modern architecture and build- 
ings. The more important avenues with their native 
foliage may be likened, in summer, to such elegant 
promenades as the Bois de Boulogne, the Paseo del 
Prado, the Rambla de las Flores and the Avenida 
de los Emperadores, so well known to European 
travellers, whilst in autumn and in winter, in the 
afternoon, the Calle Sarandi becomes a veritable 
exposition of female beauty. Here it is where the 
better class women of Montevideo, whose beauty is 
world-famed, pass to and fro, the objects of ad- 
miration of the enthusiastic youth of the city who 
gather at the street corners to gaze on the enchant- 
ing procession. Amongst these fair Uruguayans 
there are varieties of blondes as well as of the 



REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY 175 

national classic type, women with black hair and 
eyes who, endowed with the gracefulness of the 
Andalusian, enchant with their beautiful faces and 
figures. Yet with all these claims in abundance the 
Uruguayan woman excels in her possession of the 
domestic virtues. It is one of the sights of Monte- 
video to visit the Cemetery where, apart from the 
elegance and artistic character of the monuments, 
one may admire the pious ladies in mourning, pray- 
ing before their dead, not at long intervals, but, in 
many cases, almost daily, devoting the utmost care 
upon the preservation of the tombs which are gen- 
erally covered with beautiful flowers. This is almost 
a religion with the better class people of Uruguay 
who thus demonstrate the sincerity with which their 
hearts hold their affections. 

In the outskirts of the city there are the Bosque 
de Colon and the delightful bathing-beach, Los 
Pocitos, which is not only a place of residence for 
the well-to-do families of the city during the sum- 
mer months, but also a favorite and convenient 
marine resort for a great number of the inhabitants 
of Buenos Aires and the south of Brazil. The 
Capital of Uruguay is built on the left bank of the 
mouth of the Biver Plate, practically opposite 
Buenos Aires, to and from which city there is a 
service of splendid steamboats which perform the 
journey, generally at night, through the silvery wa- 
ters of the Biver Plate, in seven or eight hours. 



176 THE TWO AMERICAS 

From Rio de Janeiro and other parts of Brazil the 
journey is much longer and can only be made com- 
fortably in the trans- Atlantic liners, which, on their 
way from Europe to Buenos Aires, put in at Bra- 
zilian and Uruguayan ports. The long-projected 
railway, however, from Sao Paulo to Montevideo, a 
distance of about 3,500 kilometres, will shortly be 
completed and with the regular schedule proposed, 
the splendid equipment of the service to be provided, 
and the route of the line, which crosses the rich 
Brazilian States of Parana, Santa Catarina and Rio 
Grande do Sul, the road should largely help toward 
the further progress of Montevideo. 

As I have pointed out in my references to the 
other Latin countries of America politics allied to 
a mistaken sense of patriotism have hitherto exer- 
cised a baneful influence upon the progress of the 
Republic. In Uruguay there are two political par- 
ties, the "Whites" and the "Reds" and the ambi- 
tions of these rival factions have often stood in the 
way of national advance ; and to such an extent has 
this been the case that M. Clemenceau has stated 
that "when a boy is born in Uruguay he is given a 
white or a red ribbon which he is enjoined to defend 
and hand down to his progeny. ' ' 

As illustrating, in some measure, the harmful ef- 
fects of revolutionary movements upon the indus- 
tries and commerce of the country it may be inter- 
esting to point out that even the process of refine- 



REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY 177 

ment of native stock has been retarded in past 
years by revolutionary outbreaks. An explanation 
of this is to be found in the Military Code of the 
Republic which provides for compensation to own- 
ers of stock which has been seized or commandeered 
during a period of revolution. That Code, which 
has since been changed, fixed an arbitrary value 
upon each animal, not taking into account the higher 
value of improved stock, with the result that cases 
frequently occurred in which the loss of valuable 
pedigree animals was compensated for on an utterly 
inadequate scale. Hence during the years over 
which revolutionary outbreaks were of frequent oc- 
currence prominent stock-raisers naturally limited 
their operations. These conditions happily no 
longer exist, the former reign of anarchy having 
been succeeded by an era of peace and progress. 
Uruguayan patriotism is as ardent and as intense 
as that of the Spanish founders of the nationality. 
At a festival given at the Catholic Club in Monte- 
video in honor of the great patriot, Artigas, who is 
regarded as the real founder of the country, I was 
struck by the warmth and sincerity of the eloquent 
discourses delivered on that occasion by the poet, 
Zorilla de San Martin, and many other national 
celebrities. All these addresses were marked by ar- 
dent appeals to the youth of the country not only 
to conserve and defend the principles enunciated 
by the many South American liberators, but also, in 



178 THE TWO AMERICAS 

their own moral, material and intellectual progress, 
to extend all protection and a full share of the rights 
which they themselves enjoy to all the foreigners 
who come to inhabit their country. 

National leaders of thought fully realize the value 
to the country of foreign enterprise, foreign capital, 
and of a foreign industrial population. The teach- 
ing of foreign languages during the past few years 
has made such advance that, whilst Italian and 
French are known by the majority of the residents 
of the Capital, English and German are becoming 
familiar tongues throughout the country, and with 
this progressive educational movement the fraternal 
wars and revolutions, which but a short time since 
seemed to be a chronic condition of Uruguay, have 
disappeared. To-day industrial and commercial ad- 
vance is a national policy, and under the present 
administration, headed by President Battle y Ordon- 
nez, a distinguished journalist and writer, who has 
served a former presidential term, there has been 
established a system of government which has 
aroused the energies and progressive spirit of the 
people. 

In the material progress of the Republic the ex- 
tension of the railways, which unite it with some of 
the adjacent Eepublics and widen the sphere of 
labour, has been the principal element and is being 
continued with great vigour in all parts of the 
country. Amongst the many railroads now under 



REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY 179 

survey or construction one of the most important 
will be that stipulated for in a contract with the 
Pan-American Trans-Continental Eailway Company 
from the northern frontier of the Eepublic to its 
southern border at Colonia. This enterprise, which 
is equally of interest to the United States and the 
Uruguayan Republic, will form part of the Pan- 
American scheme to secure rapid transit between 
New York City and Pernambuco by steamer, thence 
by rail to Valparaiso (Chile) via Rio de Janeiro, 
Colonia and Buenos Aires. One of the fixed condi- 
tions of this contract is that the Company binds 
itself to colonize something like 40,000 hectares of 
land extending along its lines, whilst arrangements 
have been entered into between the Government 
and the other large land-owning railroad companies, 
providing that to thousands of families a farm will 
be allotted to. each on terms of a very favorable 
character. In addition to the grant of land on lines 
that will easily leave an annual surplus to the colon- 
ist provision is also made for the supply of stock, 
agricultural implements, seeds, or other necessary 
material, according to the use to which the land is 
put, with equal facilities to the colonist. 

In her foreign relations Uruguay is also making 
rapid advance, having established Legations in many 
of the South American countries where she was 
hitherto not represented by fully constituted diplo- 
matic missions. All her differences on questions of 



180 THE TWO AMERICAS 

frontier limits have been settled by their reference 
to arbitration or to Joint Commissions, and the gen- 
erous and friendly spirit which governs her deal- 
ings with the neighboring Eepublics is fully shown 
in the voluntary cancellation of the war-debt due 
to her by Paraguay, the balance of which still re- 
mains unpaid and due to the Argentine Eepublic 
and Brazil, although there is no likelihood of pay- 
ment being enforced by either of those countries. 
In foreign commerce each year shows a substantial 
increase over the previous corresponding period, 
and foreign capital is rapidly flowing in to further 
develop the natural resources. The port of Monte- 
video, like that of Buenos Aires, is continually ac- 
quiring greater importance, not even shown by the 
Government statistics relating to the movement of 
ships or to the imports and exports, as practically 
all the shipments of merchandise between Europe 
and Paraguay pass through Montevideo and fur- 
nish no means of determining their extent. For 
some time past port improvements have been pro- 
ceeding and these, which will enable the largest 
ocean steamers to dock alongside the quay, are now 
approaching completion. Uruguayan currency is 
on a gold basis, the gold dollar being of higher value 
than that of the United States. Climate, geograph- 
ical situation, the fertility of the soil and the char- 
acter of the people combine to give this favored 
land all the elements of a great and prosperous na- 



REPUBLIC OF URUGUAY 181 

tion and with the permanent establishment of in- 
ternal peace the full attainment of that position can- 
not be long postponed. 

Education, which is obligatory in its elementary 
form, is highly advanced. High schools are dis- 
tributed through all the large centres of the Repub- 
lic; and the University of Montevideo has a large 
number of Faculties which include agriculture, com- 
merce and the social sciences. The Government like- 
wise maintains Schools of Arts and Trades and a 
National Military College. Through the increased 
immigration the number of schools has been largely 
added to but the Government is now further extend- 
ing its educational efforts by establishing primary 
schools throughout the Republic so that there will 
be at least one school for every thousand of the 
inhabitants. The Uruguayan Army, with the auxil- 
iary forces, may be estimated at 100,000 men, but 
the unfortunate necessity to other countries of naval 
forces does not apply to the Uruguayan Republic. 

The administration of justice in Uruguay was 
for many years notoriously bad, but it has now been 
reformed and the Supreme Court is so admirably 
equipped as to place it on a footing of equality 
with the Courts of any other South American 
country. The High Court now consists of five 
judges selected from members of the bar of the 
highest attainments and unimpeachable integrity. 
I have mentioned this in order to show how the 



182 THE TWO AMERICAS 

people of even the smallest of the Latin Republics 
are capable of occupying a proud position amongst 
the most forward nations of the world; and Uru- 
guay is far from being an exception to that rule. 
The generous ideals, the progressive spirit and the 
patriotism of her sons, for whom the word God 
only exists before the word Country, render it 
possible for Uruguay to be regarded by the coun- 
tries of Europe and of the rest of the world as an 
example of the energies and the aptitudes of South 
America, and as a land of the future for the myri- 
ads of immigrants who leave the congested spots 
of the old world in search of a new horizon, a new 
country, and a new home. 



CHAPTER XII 

THE EEPUBLIC OF CHILE 

rilHIS important Republic is separated from Ar- 
A gentina by the cordillera of the Andes whose 
enormous height and formation until a few years 
ago constituted such a barrier to direct communica- 
tion as to make these bordering nations, notwith- 
standing their proximity, to live as apart from each 
other as though they were respectively situated at 
the extreme ends of the continent. To-day, through 
the construction of the Transandine Railroad, the 
journey from one side to the other is merely a mat- 
ter of a few hours, and with the advantages which 
both countries have derived, commercially, from the 
closer intercourse thus established the completion 
of the mountain railway has led to a better mutual 
understanding both as regards the people and the 
Governments who have taken advantage of their 
more neighbourly situation to definitely erase the 
bitterness of the past and to unite their forces for 
the common good of Latin- America. 

The physical conditions of Chile are in marked 
contrast with those of Argentina. For more than 
1,200 kilometres to the south of Ecuador, in the 

183 



184 THE TWO AMERICAS 

eastern region of the Andes, there is an abundance 
of rainfall, while the plateau in the centre is dry 
and the western portion rainless and destitute of 
vegetation. In the southern regions of Chile these 
conditions are reversed, there being but little rain 
on the eastern side of the Andes and a heavy rain- 
fall on the western side which gives rise to a large 
number of rivers and lakes. The country is largely 
volcanic and may be said to possess four great 
earthquake zones, two of which are in the desert 
regions, one in the area embracing the city of Val- 
paraiso, and the fourth in the district extending 
from Concepcion to Chiloe. When an earthquake 
occurs on the coast, as was the case in 1906, on the 
destruction of Valparaiso, tidal waves are occasion- 
ally formed, and in some instances cause greater 
damage than the earthquake itself. 

In the middle of the sixteenth century Governor 
Mendoza of Peru founded the present Argentine 
city of Mendoza at the foot of the cordillera on the 
banks of the river which descends from the snows of 
Aconcagua. The latter-day prosperity of the Ar- 
gentine Eepublic and the productiveness of the soil 
in the western areas of that country led to the 
extension of the railway to Mendoza and to an ex- 
pansion of the interchange of commerce between 
the two countries. At a later period a railway was 
constructed to the foot of the cordillera on the 
Chilean side, which, with a further extension of the 




Photograph by George Grantham Bain 

RAMON BARROS LUCO, PRESIDENT OF CHILE 



THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE185 

line from Mendoza in a westerly direction, brought 
the two Eepublics within a distance of 120 kilo- 
metres of each other. A tunnel was then pierced 
through the mountains for the purpose of joining 
these two lines, and in 1909 the international rail- 
road was opened to public traffic. Prior to the com- 
pletion of the road, land communication was only 
possible daring the summer months and even then, 
notwithstanding the sure-footedness of the trained 
mules which carried the travellers, the steep and 
rugged character of the central portion of the Cor- 
dillera rendered the crossing of the Andes a peril- 
ous and exciting adventure, causing the majority of 
people to prefer the route of the Pacific Mail Steam- 
ers plying between Montevideo and Valparaiso, 
which took eleven or twelve days to make the 
passage. The scenery one passes in the railway 
journey through these elevated regions is much more 
beautiful and imposing than that of Switzerland. 
The railway mounts the rocky slopes of the great 
range, crossing precipices as though it were pene- 
trating an unknown world. As the train gradually 
ascends, the whiteness of the perpetual snows, which 
with the rays of the sun appear like a silver breast- 
plate, causes the black shadows of the rails to 
vanish from sight, whilst above this vast white 
horizon there arises, in all its majesty and beauty, 
the imposing Aconcagua. The contrast presented 
by the view at this point of the colossal mountains 



186 THE TWO AMERICAS 

and the despairing flatness and monotony of the 
desolate pampas of Argentina, where there is no 
tree to give its pleasing shade and no green spots 
to attract the eye, is truly remarkable. In the Ar- 
gentine Pampa are the deserted prairies which ex- 
tend for an immense distance without variation of 
any kind, and on these mountain heights, toward the 
west, there is a view of the palpitating life of nature 
in its most beautiful and diverse forms. At the bor- 
der between Argentina and Chile, a few metres from 
the railway, there is the famous bronze monument 
of "The Christ of the Andes," which was erected 
to celebrate the opening of the international rail- 
road and to perpetuate the friendship of the two 
nations which had but a short time before been 
on the verge of war. Symbolising the act of bless- 
ing the two countries, the beautiful statue seems to 
be whispering those divine words, "Love one an- 
other, ' ' and to be a treaty of peace carved in stone. 
On the Chilean side the railroad runs along preci- 
pices and naked rocks until it reaches the valley of 
Aconcagua, where there are rich and fertile lands 
as well tilled and cultivated as the best in France. 
In this rich soil, which yields fruits and products of 
the highest quality, there are also extensive vine- 
yards and pastures feeding sheep, cattle and horses. 
Eunning parallel with the rails is a road for vehic- 
ular and pedestrian traffic and there for the first 
time I saw the huaso or Chilean native, in his 



THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE 187 

national costume, carrying his picturesque poncho. 
His bronzed complexion and energetic expression 
emphasise his strength of character, while his 
physique and fighting qualities which make him one 
of the best soldiers of America also make him a ca- 
pable workman in any branch of industry in which 
he is always laborious and skilful. He invariably 
travels on horseback and carries enough provisions 
in his saddle-bags to enable him to make excursions, 
occasionally lasting several days, through the abrupt 
mountain slopes. In character the Chilean huaso is 
a fine type of humanity ; strong, like his mountains, 
frank, loyal and brave, he is willing to make any 
sacrifice for a considerate employer, but is a relent- 
less enemy of those who ill treat him. Like all 
Chileans he is extremely hospitable and patriotic. 
During my journey to Chile I made a short stay 
amongst these people and one of them, having heard 
that I was a friend of his country, invited me to his 
home to partake of a meal. I accepted the invitation 
and was bountifully regaled by a variety of sea- 
sonable and delicious native dishes. After the lunch 
his wife, accompanying herself on the guitar, feel- 
ingly rendered some national patriotic and love 
songs, and the husband subsequently related to me 
many of the triumphs and other interesting episodes 
of the various wars in which Chilean troops had 
been engaged. 

The topography of Chile is almost unique, being 



188 THE TWO AMERICAS 

comparable only with that of Egypt and Norway. 
In the northern section of the country there are 
the nitrate beds which contain vast deposits of 
that fertilising product. The central portions em- 
brace the rich valleys and populous centres, and in 
the south, down to the Straits of Magellan, there 
are the wide, grassy plains, devoted to the success- 
ful raising of cattle, sheep and horses. The nitrate 
lands are situated between the coast and the terri- 
tory of the plateau of Bolivia. These lands have no 
vegetation and are perpetually without rain, to 
which they owe the existence of the nitrate deposits, 
which rain would dissolve and wash away. At many 
points of this district there are railroads to carry 
the product to the factories where it undergoes a 
process of dissolution and crystallisation and is pre- 
pared for exportation. The deposits are usually 
found at a few inches below the surface, in layers 
of about one metre thick, the mineral being of an 
ashy color and so hard as to render blasting by 
dynamite necessary for its removal. The nitrate 
grounds cover a very extensive area, and it is esti- 
mated that there are enough deposits still unex- 
ploited to supply the necessities of the world for a 
century or more to come. Nitrate is one of the 
most important sources of revenue for the country, 
which collects an export duty upon it, and in the 
thirty years from 1880 to 1909 the amount collected 
from this tax considerably exceeded $400,000,000. 



THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE 189 

It has frequently been said that the concentration 
of national effort upon the development of this 
industry would ultimately produce bad, rather than 
good, results, as was the case with the guano indus- 
try in Peru, but from what has happened down to 
the present time these forebodings of evil do not 
appear to have been justified, as the Government 
and nation have worked harmoniously to utilise the 
immense revenues created by this industry in the 
construction of railways and other reproductive 
public works. On the other hand sight is not being 
lost of other sources of national wealth which are 
in course of development upon an energetic and ex- 
tensive scale. In this northern section of the coun- 
try the two principal cities are Serena and Co- 
quimbo. Serena is an exact counterpart of many 
of the old cities of Spain and was built at some 
distance from the coast, in all probability to make 
it easier of defence against the English and German 
pirates who made frequent raids upon those shores 
which Sir Francis Drake plundered and desolated 
in 1578. The city of Coquimbo is more modern in 
character, has a good port and is centrally located, 
although except where irrigation has been effected 
its surrounding lands are arid and have no vege- 
tation. 

Santiago, the beautiful Capital of Chile, is in the 
centre of a fertile valley on the banks of the Ma- 
pocho Eiver and is overlooked by the Cerro de 



190 THE TWO AMERICAS 

Santa Lucia, whose shadows give it the appearance 
of a great watch tower. There is also another 
height called San Cristobal on the top of which 
there is a gigantic statue of the Virgin. From the 
spacious and handsome thoroughfares in which 
there are many artistically designed one-story 
dwellings, rendered still more ornamental by the 
varied colours of their stucco enrichments, one sees 
the imposing chain of the Andes with their beauti- 
ful covering of snow, and, above them all, the Acon- 
cagua and the Tucumgato, which present a magnifi- 
cent spectacle. Practically equidistant from the 
sea and the mountains, Santiago has a beautiful 
climate as is evidenced by the health, the vigour, 
and the longevity of its inhabitants, many of whom 
are centenarians. In that favored city there is an 
absence of the rigours of the seasons. There the 
winter is like the autumn, and the summer like 
spring, the city being sheltered from the cold of 
winter by the two ranges protecting the valley in 
which it is built; and refreshed in summer by the 
cool currents from the South Pole, while the serenity 
of the lovely blue sky is scarcely ever disturbed by 
the appearance of a cloud. 

The people of Santiago are extremely simple and 
modest in bearing, and even among the wealthiest 
classes there is a strong desire to preserve ancient 
customs and to resist the invasion of modern ras- 
taquairism. When attending Church or taking their 



THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE 191 

walks abroad the ladies wear as an outer covering 
a black shawl or manto which lends to them a cer- 
tain grace and dignity and forms a dark frame 
that reveals the beauty of their faces and the bril- 
liancy of their eyes. One of the most marked char- 
acteristics of Santiago's society, and indeed of all 
the Chilean people, is the cordial hospitality they 
offer to the stranger who is almost tempted to pitch 
his tents under the blue sky beneath the chain of the 
famous mountains. 

After Santiago the most important city in the 
Eepublic is Valparaiso, which is the terminus of the 
transcontinental railway and the most important 
western port of South America. In this city where 
everything is subordinated to the commercial de- 
mands of the port the buildings are higher, in most 
cases, than in Santiago, although it is situated in the 
very heart of the earthquake zone. The port and 
harbour are now being considerably extended in 
order to prepare for the immense growth of com- 
merce which is expected to result from the opening 
of the Panama Canal ; and when that great work is 
completed Valparaiso will be the terminal port 
for the vessels passing through the Canal to South 
America, as well as for those which navigate the 
Straits of Magellan or double Cape Horn. Even 
today its importance may be seen by the numerous 
entries and departures of ships trading along the 
coast of Chile, through Peru, Ecuador and Colombia 



192 THE TWO AMERICAS 

to Panama, besides those which trade with San 
Francisco and the great ocean steamers plying be- 
tween Chile, Australia and Asia. 

In the centre of the mountains at the point whence 
the bay of Valparaiso was first observed there is to 
be a monument erected to the memory of 'Higgins, 
who, when he went from Santiago to despatch the 
ships which were going to fight for the independence 
of Chile and Peru, said: "On these few mountain 
paths depends the welfare of the country." Hap- 
pily that is no longer the case, Valparaiso now being 
the commercial capital of the Eepublic, with all the 
possibilities of attaining greater importance as a 
port than either San Francisco or Vancouver, when 
the greater development of the mineral and other 
resources of Chile begins to follow the opening of 
the Canal. The rapidity with which the city has 
been rebuilt since its destruction in 1906 affords 
abundant proof of the energy and enterprise of its 
inhabitants. 

The political organization of the country is wor- 
thy of special mention. The President of the Ee- 
public is chosen from the ranks of the public men 
noted for their integrity and for the services they 
have rendered to the country, and there are in- 
stances, such as that of the actual President, Don 
Eamon Barros Luco, who has served his fellow citi- 
zens faithfully and continuously for more than forty 
years, in which all the political parties combined in 



THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE 193 

order to make his election as Chief Magistrate unan- 
imous. Political passion and hatred are less intense 
in Chile than in many other countries of South 
America. In Congress, where public questions are 
frequently debated with considerable heat, there is 
mutual respect amongst its members and often the 
most cordial social relations amongst those of ex- 
treme party views, and these conditions obtain 
throughout the country where personal friendship 
and patriotism are placed above political considera- 
tions. The Chilean people are imbued with the true 
spirit of civic life. Members of Congress are not 
only not paid for their services but they are sub- 
jected to so many calls for public and private charity 
as to make the honor of representation a very costly 
privilege. 

Unlike the people of other Latin- American coun- 
tries the Chileans excel both as soldiers and sailors, 
their love of the sea having led to their being called 
the English of South America, whilst the Chilean 
army, though numbering no more than about 13,000 
men, has been stated by an eminent German military 
expert to be one of the finest in the world from 
the point of view of training, discipline and fighting 
qualities. The greater proportion of the popula- 
tion of Chile are of pure European descent without 
a trace of African blood and it is doubtless to this 
circumstance and their mixture with the highest 
types of aboriginals that they owe their possession 



194 THE TWO AMERICAS 

of the qualities which distinguish them from the 
people of the sister republics. One hears and reads 
much of the famous Incas, but beyond all question 
the finest tribe of Indians which at any time inhab- 
ited the southern portion of the American continent 
are the Araucanians of Chile. These people were a 
nomad pastoral race who understood the value of 
military organization and were imbued with such 
courage and intelligence as to leave them the only 
unconquered Indians in all America. Of these in- 
domitable warriors, who in early times inflicted 
defeat after defeat upon the invaders of their terri- 
tory, there are still about 100,000 living in the peace- 
ful pursuit of their pastoral and agricultural avo- 
cations as law-abiding citizens of the Republic, 
justly proud of their ancestry and of their achieve- 
ments. They dwell in their camps under the domes- 
tic government of a Chief belonging to a family 
which has ruled the tribe from time immemorial, 
and the hereditary principle was only departed from 
in former times when the eldest son was incapable of 
assuming command of his fellow-warriors from 
amongst whom, when fighting was necessary, the 
strongest and bravest was specially selected. Their 
arms consisted of a wooden sabre with an edge of 
flint, or a tomahawk of stone, occasionally varied by 
a loaded wooden hammer. When Valdivia crossed 
the River Biobio and penetrated Araucanian terri- 
tory the Chiefs of these Indians assembled in con- 



THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE 195 

gress and after lengthy deliberation decided to con- 
test the progress of the invader. At the beginning 
they were defeated by the fire-arms of the mounted 
Spanish troops, until Valdivia advanced to the point 
where the city bearing his name was built. Later, 
however, the Araucanos attacked the Spanish forces 
at about a hundred miles south of the River Biobio 
and by their numbers and bravery secured a com- 
plete victory over the Spaniards whom they anni- 
hilated. During the colonial period the wars be- 
tween the Araucanos and the Spaniards were re- 
sumed at frequent intervals, but the Indians, hav- 
ing learned how to defend themselves with the arms 
they had captured, secured repeated victories. They 
also, like the Red Indians of North America, bred 
horses for use in war ; and they were able to count 
in their ranks many born tacticians such as Latauro 
and the great Caupolican, who were as brave as they 
were skilful in war. When they were worsted in 
an engagement they retreated to their forests to 
rehabilitate and to prepare themselves for fresh 
attacks upon the enemy. In the end a treaty was 
established with the Araucanos whereby the River 
Biobio was fixed as the boundary limit dividing the 
colony from their territory, but these brave Indians 
never submitted and were able to preserve their in- 
dependence even after that of Chile was declared. 
The effects of this treaty, through their contact with 
white people and the establishment of commercial 



196 THE TWO AMERICAS 

intercourse, led to an abatement of their warlike ten- 
dencies and ultimately to their final pacification, 
and in 1881 when Chile established her authority 
over the city of Temuco, founded in the centre of 
Araucanian territory, a gathering of the tribal 
Chiefs took place, at which it was decided that the 
Araucanos should incorporate themselves as citi- 
zens of Chile. Thus these unconquered aboriginals 
are today contributing to the industrial develop- 
ment of the country with the same advantageous 
results as they conferred upon its people in trans- 
planting their exceptional qualities of character. 
No actual knowledge exists as to the number of 
individuals who constituted the Araucanian nation 
at the time of the Conquerors. It has been esti- 
mated at 400,000 but this figure would seem to be 
excessive when it is taken into account that the 
means of subsistence were very meagre, that they 
were possessed of very little cattle, and that the 
forests and surrounding country furnished but little 
animal food to the hunter. Since their intercourse 
with the white man their numbers have been dimin- 
ished by tuberculous affections, notwithstanding the 
efforts made to protect them from that scourge. 
Until 1881, when they came under the dominion of 
the Chilean Government, no success attended the 
many attempts to convert them to Christianity. 
Their religion was like that of many of the aborig- 
inal tribes of America. They adored a Superior 



THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE 197 

Spirit and in their rites they prayed for good 
weather and that the evil spirit should not enter 
their bodies. Their priests were their women-folk 
who were educated from childhood to understand 
their functions. For the religious ceremonies they 
selected a sacred tree, in which they carved out a 
series of steps which were mounted by the priests 
to perform the rites. When the tree died the trunk 
was still regarded as sacred and on feast-days they 
displayed their reverence by adorning it with such 
flowers as they were able to collect. The adoration 
of the sun, as practised by the Incas, was not per- 
mitted amongst the Araucanos, the majority of 
whom are to-day adherents of the Christian faith. 
Missionaries engaged amongst them declare them 
to be highly intelligent and easy to manage and 
educate, when they are treated with consideration, 
but they are the very reverse of docile or submissive 
if they are treated harshly or unjustly. After the 
European revolution of 1848 a German colony es- 
tablished itself in Araucanian territory and formed 
the city of Osorno. Many of these Germans have 
intermarried with the Araucanos and the colony is 
at the present time one of the most flourishing and 
progressive in the Eepublic of Chile. 

Throughout my travels in South America I was 
overwhelmed by the kindness and hospitality ex- 
tended to me, but I should be wanting in gratitude 
and in my desire to do justice to the generous in- 



198 THE TWO AMERICAS 

stincts of the Chilean people and to an adequate 
description of their life and customs if I failed to 
record, at least briefly, in these pages my grateful 
recollections of a trip to Almahue, the estate of my 
old friends, Messrs. Eobert and William Lyon, who 
invited me with my son to make the visit. Other 
guests invited with me were General Eduardo Gor- 
maz, Julio Pereira, Ismael Pereira, Vicente Eeyes 
Solar, Eduardo Correa E., Fernando Suber- 
casseaux, Horacio Edwards, Luis Varas (Governor 
of Cachapoal), Adolf o Luco Blanco, Eaul Besa 
Eodriguez, Gabriel Vidal and Manuel Merchan 
Lecaros. 

We left Santiago in a Pullman coach and after 
being served with luncheon arrived at the village 
of Eengo, where the railway station was decorated 
with flowers and flags of Colombia and Chile inter- 
twined. A band of music played the hymns of the 
two nations, which were also sung by a large num- 
ber of school children assembled there for that pur- 
pose. The boy scouts in their khaki uniform formed 
in line and presented arms as we passed. Vivas 
were raised for Colombia which I reciprocated by 
similar salutations to Chile. In Peumo there was 
another reception of the same kind, whilst a boy and 
a girl recited eloquent addresses accentuating the 
traditional friendship between Chile and Colombia. 
They proclaimed the great Bolivar as the genius of 
liberty and independence in America, and made flat- 



THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE 199 

tering acknowledgment of the friendship I had al- 
ways shown to their country. The Governor, the 
Parish Priest and the Chief of Police also made 
speeches of welcome, to which, profoundly moved 
by the references to Bolivar and to Colombia, I re- 
plied, expressing my gratitude for these kindly man- 
ifestations which were an eloquent proof of the tra- 
ditional and patriarchal hospitality of the noble 
Chilean people. I added that the acknowledgment 
of the genius of Bolivar was an act of justice as 
well as of glory and of honour for the entire con- 
tinent, and with sentiments of the deepest respect 
for the tribute to that great man I desired to link 
with his name the names of two other South Ameri- 
can heroes, 'Higgins and Portales. I further said 
that the military instruction imparted in the Chilean 
schools tended to preserve the high qualities of those 
great men; that the presence of the Parish Priest 
showed the harmony existing between the State and 
the Church; and that the military exercises of the 
children, so admirably performed, was a proof of 
the national respect for the army and the navy and 
furnished an explanation of the strength and pa- 
triotism of the Chilean nation. 

Arriving at the beautiful home of the estate of 
Almahue, which had the aspect of an English coun- 
try mansion, surrounded by a large park, extensive 
vineyards, pastures and woods, covering an area of 
14,000 hectares, irrigated by the adjacent lakes and 



200 THE TWO AMERICAS 

waters, we were welcomed at the door by Dona 
Lucia Besa Rodriguez, the wife of our host, Don 
Guillermo Lyon. I had recently become acquainted 
in Paris with this lady, who was greatly admired 
in that city for her beauty, her modesty, and her 
grace of manner, which are the attributes of most 
Chilean ladies. On entering the great salon the vis- 
itors received an agreeable surprise. They found 
themselves in the middle of a forest of palms, wil- 
lows and cypresses adorned with chrysanthemums 
and other flowers which gave the room the appear- 
ance of a scene from fairyland. Champagne was 
served and after a sumptuous dinner there was an 
improvised programme of excellent music. 

On the following day we visited the mixed school 
of the estate where there were more than sixty 
children of both sexes, there being two others of a 
similar kind for the education of the children of the 
labourers on the estate. On horses and in coaches 
the visitors were then escorted to the beautiful 
church and to the dwellings of the overseers and 
work-people for whom kitchen gardens and recrea- 
tion grounds were also provided. There were seen 
here a troop of magnificent horses, mares and colts 
of the hackney type, percherons and race-horses 
equal to those one might see in the famous studs of 
Europe, whence many of them of distinguished pedi- 
gree had been imported. 

We returned to the house for luncheon which was 



THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE 201 

given in the forest-room. The table adornments 
composed of flowers and fruits were formed into 
figures of the Cross which I understood to mean 
that the home was protected by that holy symbol. 
The floor was covered with fresh branches to give 
completeness to the general effect, and the Chilean 
and Colombian flags were intertwined in fraternal 
embrace. Don Eoberto Lyon spoke a few eloquent 
words of welcome and I responded by proposing the 
health of the lady of the house, her distinguished 
husband, and my fellow-guests. When the meal was 
over there was music and the cueca was danced by 
the younger people. The dance was artistically exe- 
cuted and reminded me of the holer o, the habanera, 
the bambuco, the jota, the torbellino, and the fan- 
dango, in which the dancers performed individually, 
expressing in their movements the sentimental char- 
acter of the people. The cueca is danced with more 
grace, with greater animation, and with deeper in- 
tensity than the tango; and there is no doubt that it 
will become a popular terpsichorean exercise in 
other countries when it becomes better known. 

There was later a parade of more than a hundred 
school children, well dressed, happy and healthy in 
appearance. A representative of each school car- 
ried the Chilean flag and sang the national hymn 
with genuine enthusiasm. These were followed by 
the tenants and labourers, numbering about four 
hundred, mounted on splendid horses with luxurious 



202 THE TWO AMERICAS 

saddles, some with spurs of silver, who displayed 
their affection for their employers by deafening 
cheers. The parade lasted a considerable time and 
the procession gave one the impression of a regi- 
ment of robust warriors, only lacking the lance and 
the sword, which, in case of need, those who took 
part would willingly take up in defense of the na- 
tional honour. Among these sturdy workers there 
were many men of extreme old age, like the overseer, 
Luciano Pino, who rode a spirited horse and carried 
his ninety years with all the agility and strength 
of an active youth, and in the procession there were 
others as old and as strong. 

After the parade we were taken in coaches and on 
horseback, under the escort of the four hundred 
horsemen, to a nearby camp where two platforms 
had been erected for dancing. Here also there were 
foot and horse races in which the men took part; 
and there was played the exciting and popular game 
of the vara or tapiadura, wherein tens of horsemen 
participate. Wine was distributed in abundance 
and camp-fires were lighted to cook the food pro- 
vided by our hosts. The sports being concluded we 
returned to the family home and after having bidden 
farewell to the lady of the house proceeded on our 
way. 

This imposing country festival was a revelation to 
me, and, as I subsequently discovered, a true exam- 
ple of the life of large Chilean estates where, as in 



THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE 203 

Almahue, there are many tenants and labourers be- 
tween whom and the owners there exist mutual re- 
spect and affection. 

The mineral wealth of Chile is of such proportions 
as to have justified the investment of the many 
millions already employed in its development, most 
of which have yielded satisfactory returns, in spite 
of the absence of direct means of communication and 
of the fact that the ores have to be exported by the 
circuitous and expensive route of the Magellan 
Straits. With the opening of the Panama Canal 
mineral exports will increase considerably, and 
amongst those taking part in the development of 
this branch of native industry the Bethlehem Steel 
Company of the United States are actively develop- 
ing the iron deposits of Tofo, near Coquimbo, the 
products of which will all be exported through the 
Canal. These favorable prospects are also shared 
by those engaged in the cultivation and export of 
fruits and other natural products. The excellence 
of the climate, the superior qualities of the soil, and 
the. fact that Chile produces fruits of the temperate 
zone in a season during which they are not pro- 
duced in Europe or the United States, should largely 
extend the market which is at present limited to 
home consumption and to the neighbouring Bepub- 
lics. Chile possesses all the elements for a vast ex- 
pansion of this industry and there is no reason why 
in the course of a few years her fruit-producing cen- 



204 THE TWO AMERICAS 

tres should not become formidable rivals of Valen- 
cia, Florida and Los Angeles. I remember when, 
thirty years ago, the banana industry was estab- 
lished on a small scale on the coasts of the Sea of 
the Antilles, in Central America, Colombia and Ja- 
maica. Today the United Fruit Company, founded 
by Mr. Minor Keith, to whom most of the countries 
named owe their economic redemption, owns a large 
fleet of steamers which carry bananas to almost 
every quarter of the globe and derive profits 
amounting to millions of dollars annually. There 
are precisely as great chances for a corporation 
well organized and skillfully conducted to create 
as great an industry in the fruits of Chile as has 
been done in Central America by the United Fruit 
Company. Fourteen years ago Mr. Izquierdo 
founded a nursery of fruit plants, flowers and other 
growths for decorative purposes. It was thought 
at the time that the enterprise would fail and that 
it had no future. Mr. Izquierdo, however, un- 
daunted by the warnings of his friends, persisted in 
his ideas, with the result that his establishment sup- 
plies hundreds of thousands of plants for use in 
Chile and Argentina, and is now extending his op- 
erations to other countries of South America. 

There is little doubt that within a few years Chile 
will become the garden of the temperate zone in 
South America, and the population necessary for a 
proper exploitation of its minera 1 and fruit indus- 




MERCURIO BUILDING, VALPARAISO, CHILE 



THE REPUBLIC OF CHILE 205 

tries will flock to its shores together with foreign 
capital and transform the country as rapidly as 
California was transformed after the termination of 
the transcontinental railroad. A satisfactory fea- 
ture in this direction is that Chile, alone amongst 
South American countries, owns its railroads, which 
permits not only of reduced tariffs but also of the 
construction of new lines from the proceeds of sur- 
plus revenues, and at the present time a line, to 
be called the Longitudinal Eailroad, extending from 
one extreme end of the Eepublic to the other, is in 
course of construction. 

Equally with the central valley in which is built 
the beautiful Santiago the southern part of the Ee- 
public down to the Straits of Magellan is noted for 
its fertility and wealth of resource. In this region 
there are copious rainfalls and great rivers like 
the Maule and the Biobio, the latter being near to 
the city of Concepcion, which is the most important 
of the southern part of Chile, where also there are 
several ports. Great impetus has lately been given 
to sheep breeding in the lands adjacent to the pros- 
perous city of Punta Arenas, while agriculture is 
also flourishing owing to the low price and large 
extensions of the land which belongs, in great part, 
to the State, which is thus enabled to establish a 
system of colonization whereby the settlers ulti- 
mately become the land-owners, as occurs in Argen- 
tina and Brazil. 



206 THE TWO AMERICAS 

A short distance from Valparaiso, on the road to 
Santiago, is situated the beautiful bathing place of 
Vina del Mar which contains many handsome resi- 
dences and villas erected there by the wealthier 
classes of Santiago who pass the summer season, 
the months of January and February, in that de- 
lightful watering-place, whose spacious avenues and 
well constructed roads are shaded by a variety of 
old trees. The town is made additionally attrac- 
tive by the agreeable nature of the climate, which 
is mild in winter and never too hot in summer. 

The population of Chile is estimated at about 
4,000,000 inhabitants, the annual increase being 
small, due to its geographical situation and to a 
consequent lack of immigration, which have made 
it dependent upon natural augmentation. As in the 
case of the other Republics to the north, the propor- 
tion of foreigners to inborn citizens is particularly 
small and in Chile is only about 41 per 1,000. Edu- 
cation is rapidly reducing the number of illiterates, 
but unfortunately the rate of infant mortality is 
somewhat high and is now occupying the serious 
attention of the Government. On the whole Chile 
is a land of order and progress, where liberty and 
enlightenment go hand in hand, and in the new field 
of thought and action held out by the linking of her 
coasts of the Pacific with those of the Atlantic, her 
sons will find a stimulus to renewed energy in every 
branch of national life. 



CHAPTER XIII 

THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 

Topography and History 

fTlHE great wealth of the natural resources of the 
■*■ Argentine Republic and the vast territorial 
extension in which there are climates of all the tem- 
perate and torrid zones, have attracted to its shores 
an ever-growing tide of immigration and a fabulous 
amount of foreign investment, British capital alone 
aggregating considerably over $2,000,000,000. In 
the course of comparatively few years Argentina's 
formerly wasted areas have given birth to many 
cities ; railways have been extended in all directions, 
fomenting agriculture and commerce and carrying 
to the numerous ports the prolific production of 
that wonderful land which provides a great part of 
humanity with its meat and its wool and where 
cattle, refined by the best strains of European blood, 
horses and sheep are counted by millions. The agri- 
cultural industries have so increased that to-day 
they rival, and in some cases surpass, those of the 
United States, justifying the description of the Ar- 
gentine Republic as "the world's granary"; and all 

207 



208 THE TWO AMERICAS 

this progress lias been made with a population that 
has not yet reached the number of eight million in- 
habitants and with but fifteen per cent, of the culti- 
vable area of the country placed under cultivation. 

Geographically the Argentine Republic may be 
divided into four regions: (1) the Pampa, embrac- 
ing the Province of Buenos Aires and the centre of 
the country in which the wealthiest estancias are lo- 
cated; (2) the Great Chaco, which includes all the 
northern part with tropical climates ; (3) the Andine 
region which extends from the frontier on the south- 
ern borders of Bolivia to the frontier of Chile ; and 
(4) the Patagonian region, extending from the River 
Colorado to Cape Horn. The latter region derives 
its name from the extensive foot-prints of human 
feet which the conquerors found in those vast tracts ; 
and it is but a short time back that this then un- 
known territory was described by distinguished 
travellers, including Darwin, as unsuitable for cul- 
tivation and unfit for human habitation. To-day 
it is a fertile country abounding in rich grass-land, 
in woods and in water, where the cultivation of 
sheep is conducted upon an immense scale, the scar- 
city of rainfall having destroyed its value for agri- 
cultural purposes, although it is irrigated by six 
large rivers: the Negro, Chubut, Santa Cruz, 
Deseado, Coyly and Gallegos. In former times fab- 
ulous stories were related of the gigantic propor- 
tions of the Patagonian people, but it is now known 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 209 

that although they were of larger stature than that 
of the average man — some of them of a height of 
six feet four inches — the average is only a little 
higher than that of other parts, the belief as to their 
immense height having been caused by the fact that 
they were extremely tall in body and short in legs, 
thus giving an impression, when on horseback, that 
they were of abnormal size. 

The real Argentina, however, is the Pampa. It is 
this vast and fertile land that produces the wealth 
and prosperity of the country. It is in this section 
that the traveller finds his mistake in supposing 
that the Argentine Eepublic contains only plains for 
grazing and land for the production of grain. In 
this section are the rich lands and prosperous 
cities, and it is here where agriculture flourishes 
apace. The Pampa is covered with a rich variety of 
grasses, reaching to a depth of a metre below the 
surface; and in tracts, enclosed by wire fencing, 
there are kept millions of head of cattle, sheep and 
horses of a quality as good as the best in England 
or the United States. In the same region there is 
extensive cultivation, with the most modern scien- 
tific methods, of wheat, corn, barley, alfalfa, linseed 
and other products, whilst in Mendoza, wine grow- 
ing is an important industry. 

The geological formation of the Pampa is a com- 
bination of sand, mud of reddish colour and the red 
earth of Brazil, intercepted by veins of rock known 



210 THE TWO AMERICAS 

as "tosca." This extends to the 38th degree, or a 
little beyond, and it elicited from Darwin the de- 
scription of the "Pampa of Mud." The thickness 
of this covering varies considerably, averaging 
about 14 metres and corresponding geologically to 
the fourth formation, known as the Deluvian. In 
this combination there have been found a great 
quantity of remains of mammals of enormous size, 
and in the excavation of a canal, in any direction, 
the natives still search for the discovery of whole 
skeletons. Much speculation is rife as to how these 
great animals were kept alive, although it is gen- 
erally believed that they were not of a voracious 
character but of the order of the elephant which 
maintains itself. It has been suggested that these 
animals disappeared during the glacial period, 
which killed the mastodon and left life to the small 
birds only. The theory of Bravard is that there was 
a vast simoom or sand-storm which killed and cov- 
ered these animals but this theory is opposed by 
the fact that the greater part of the skeletons are 
fragmentary, whereas, if they had been destroyed 
by the simoom or sand-storm they would be pre- 
served intact. The opinion of Darwin is that this 
species which existed in all tropical America down 
to the icy mountains, as in the surroundings of 
Bogota, were not destroyed in the manner described 
by Bravard, but that their destruction came with the 
flood. This is also the opinion of D'Orbigny who 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 211 

said that the deposit of the great Argentine Pampa 
was formed by the invasion of the waters. Darwin 
likewise found a great quantity of the remains of 
mastodons in Bahia Blanca, in Bajada, and on the 
coast and in the tributaries of the Eio Negro, which 
proves that these animals, or their remains, were 
driven to the coasts. It is thought that the Pata- 
gonian region was an immense lake or sea and that 
the system of the rivers of South America at that 
time was different from that of to-day, with the re- 
sult that the immense volume of the waters of the 
Parana and the Paraguay bathed the north of the 
continent and accumulated masses of mud to the 
extent of converting that great sea into dry land 
and forming the Pampa. 

The climate in Argentina varies in relation to its 
great extension of 4,000 kilometres from the north 
to the south. In the Provinces of Buenos Aires, 
Santa Fe, San Luis, Mendoza, a part of Cordoba, 
and a part of one or two of the neighboring Prov- 
inces the climate is that of the temperate zone, with 
mild winters and moderate summers, but in the 
north the climate is hot and humid. Towards the 
south the cold is more intense, and during the win- 
ter, which lasts from May until early in October, 
there are frequent heavy snow-falls. In Buenos 
Aires spring-time begins in September and ends in 
the middle of December ; the summer ends in March ; 
the autumn continues until the end of May and the 



212 THE TWO AMERICAS 

winter during the rest of the year. Generally speak- 
ing, the climate of Buenos Aires is pleasant and 
favorable for the growth of a strong and vigorous 
race. The most disagreeable feature is the wind 
from the north, which comes down frequently in 
winter and produces great changes in the tempera- 
ture. The north winds are considered to be un- 
healthy and invariably excite the nervous tempera- 
ments of the portenos. In the summer the heat is 
largely increased by the Pamperos; but on the 
whole, notwithstanding occasional dry seasons, the 
meteorological conditions of the Argentine Eepublic 
may be favorably compared with those of any other 
agricultural country. 

The discovery and conquest of Argentina was of 
less interest, at the time, than the founding of the 
countries of the northern part of the continent 
where there were abundant precious metals. It was 
effected in 1515 by an expedition formed in Spain 
by Don Juan Diaz de Solis. Starting out with three 
ships the party left the port of Lepe on October 8th, 
sailing as far South as latitude 35, where they fol- 
lowed the coast in a westerly direction. Observing 
that the waters in which they were floating were no 
longer salty, de Solis assumed that he had struck 
a large river, which in consequence of his being 
unable to see the other coast he described as Mar 
Dulce or Sweet Sea. Two of his vessels anchored 
whilst with the third he proceeded along what is 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 213 

now known as the River Plate until he reached the 
island to which he gave the name of Martin Garcia. 
Here he disembarked but very soon afterwards met 
his death at the hands of the Indians. After Solis a 
Portuguese pilot, Don Hernando de Magallanes, 
continued the voyage of discovery in the River Plate 
and in 1520 found the Mount Cerro opposite what 
has since become the city of Montevideo. On April 
10, 1526, another Spanish expedition left Seville 
and its commander, Don Sebastian Gabotto, having 
been successful in ascending the rivers Parana and 
Uruguay, established the fort of Espiritu Santo in 
the Delta of the former river. These early discov- 
eries in the River Plate led to a great deal of jeal- 
ousy and desire for territorial extension amongst 
the monarchs of Europe, and toward the year 1535 
the Emperor Charles V decided to send out explor- 
ing parties, with Don Pedro de Mendoza in com- 
mand, to whom as an inducement the offer was made 
of a governorship for life over any territories he 
might conquer or otherwise acquire. The Mendoza 
expedition consisted of a fleet of 14 vessels and 
about two thousand men, many of whom were Ger- 
mans. This force entered the River Plate in Feb- 
ruary, 1536, and landed on the spot which now con- 
stitutes the capital of the Argentine Republic. Here 
a township was formed, Mendoza giving it the name 
of Santa Maria de Buenos Aires. Subsequently the 
little township was destroyed by the Querandi In- 



214 THE TWO AMERICAS 

dians who inhabited the region. Meanwhile his prin- 
cipal lieutenant, Don Juan de Ayolas, continued the 
ascent of the Eiver Parana and after numerous 
fights with the various Indian tribes occupying the 
land founded the town of Asuncion, now the capital 
of the Paraguayan Eepublic. Like several of his 
predecessors and successors Ayolas was murdered 
by the Indians and until 1576, when Don Juan de 
Gavay was made Governor, little extension took 
place. The latter, however, resolved to attempt the 
reconquest of Buenos Aires and leaving Asuncion 
for that purpose arrived at the site of the township 
founded by Mendoza in 1536. Plans were drawn for 
the demarcation of the limits of the town which the 
Indians again essayed to destroy but were unsuc- 
cessful in their attempt. The first inhabitants of 
Buenos Aires were 50 Creoles and 19 Spaniards, and 
with this second founding of the town the period of 
conquest in the regions now comprising the Argen- 
tine Eepublic may be said to have finally closed, 
to be followed by a Colonial regime, which lasted 
until 1810, when the existing form of Government 
was proclaimed and established. 

During the Viceroyalty of Eafael de Sobremonte, 
from 1804 to 1806, the British Government de- 
spatched a squadron of five vessels and a force of 
1,500 soldiers, the former under the command of 
Sir Home Popham, the latter under Sir William 
Beresford, with a view to securing some of the then 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 215 

much, coveted territory in this part of South Amer- 
ica. On June 25, 1806, Sir William Beresford and 
his troops landed at a point some twenty miles south 
of Buenos Aires and immediately marched on to 
the town, which he occupied on the following day. 
The inhabitants at once organised to repel the inva- 
sion and appointed a number of officers to bring 
reinforcements from Montevideo. On August 10th, 
following, the whole of the suburbs of the town 
were in the possession of the Spanish who demanded 
the surrender of Beresford and his force. This 
being refused the town was attacked from all sides, 
and two days later Sir William Beresford and his 
troops surrendered unconditionally. The British 
Government, still believing in the possibility of a 
reconquest of Buenos Aires, in the following year 
sent out a body of 14,000 men under General White- 
locke. These forces captured the town of Monte- 
video and shortly afterwards made an attempt to 
retake Buenos Aires. In this enterprise they were 
wholly unsuccessful, being repulsed at every point 
by the Spanish troops whose commander not only 
compelled them to surrender in person, but also 
demanded and obtained written undertakings that 
the British forces would immediately evacuate the 
city of Montevideo and the whole of the Biver 
Plate. 

In 1809 the last Viceroy was nominated by Spain 
and he remained in office until the 25th of May, 1810, 



216 THE TWO AMERICAS 

the date on which an Administrative Assembly ap- 
pointed by the people of Buenos Aires assumed 
charge of the Government. The revolution of 1810, 
which ended forever Spanish rule in the Eiver 
Plate, was the result of a political movement initi- 
ated in the Colonies at a much earlier period. This 
movement was mainly dictated by the feelings in- 
spired through the inept and wretched form of gov- 
ernment established over the Colonies, whilst the 
repulse of the English invaders, the conquest of 
Spain by Napoleon, and the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence of the United States of America naturally 
exercised their influence upon the inhabitants of the 
Eiver Plate territories and led them to the belief 
that they could organise and conduct their own af- 
fairs independently of the mother country with 
much greater advantage and freedom than they had 
enjoyed under Spanish rule. On the 13th of the 
previous month news arrived in Montevideo of the 
invasion of Andalusia by the French, of the fall of 
the Bourbons, and of the anarchy reigning in Spain. 
The hour for the Americans had arrived, and, dis- 
carding the supreme authority, the Argentine pa- 
triots and miliary chiefs agreed, and carried the 
people with them, that a complete change of Gov- 
ernment was necessary. A popular assembly was 
convened, the voting resulting in the deposition of 
the Viceroy and the creation of an Administrative 
Congress. The members of this body were duly 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 217 

nominated by the Cabildos or Mayoral Councils un- 
der the presidency of the former Spanish Viceroy, 
but by reason of a strong popular protest this nom- 
ination was cancelled on the same night. On May 
25th the populace assembled in the Plaza de la 
Victoria, proclaiming its political liberty and nam- 
ing the first National Government. In order that 
the same political change might be effected in the 
other provinces of the ex-viceroyalty, Congress 
equipped two military expeditions, one to Peru, the 
other to Paraguay. Both these expeditions ulti- 
mately succeeded in bringing the two provinces 
under the new form of government. A very short 
time elapsed, however, before the newly acquired 
independence was seriously menaced by the Royal- 
ists ; but, fortune favoring the Argentine forces, the 
Eoyalists were defeated in all directions, and on 
July 9, 1816, the Congress held in Tucuman declared 
the Independence of the United Provinces of the 
River Plate and proclaimed a national flag of blue 
and white. The population of the Argentine was 
divided into two classes, the urban and the rural; 
the former more or less educated, the other largely 
ignorant. These two classes, although united in the 
matter of independence, differed considerably in 
their views regarding the constitution of the vari- 
ous branches of the Executive. The provincial rep- 
resentatives were in favor of a Federal form of 
Government, whilst the educated classes desired the 



218 THE TWO AMERICAS 

unitarian principle. Civil war arose out of this 
dissension and so much anarchy prevailed that in 
the one year, 1820, there were twelve changes of 
Government in Buenos Aires. A more settled con- 
dition was later created under the government of 
General Eodriguez, but this only lasted until 1825, 
when war was declared against Brazil with the ob- 
ject of freeing the State of Uruguay. Meanwhile 
Eivadavia was appointed President and under his 
rule great progress was made. 

In Buenos Aires during this period a National 
Bank and a University were founded and other con- 
siderable improvements in the city effected, but in 
1827, after the defeat of the Brazilians by General 
Alvear, the deposition of General Eivadavia took 
place and with it the end of the unitarian system of 
Government. Various changes occurred in the Pres- 
idency between 1827 and 1831, when Eozas secured 
the establishment of the Federal system. 

The tyrannical methods of the administration of 
Eozas, who became Dictator, caused a setback in 
the immigration and general advance of the country. 
In 1852, after a revolution in which the Dictator 
was defeated and fled to England, a new era of 
political and social reorganisation set in, and in 
1853 a Congress held in Santa Fe sanctioned the 
National Constitution on the Federal system. The 
Province of Buenos Aires not having taken part in 
this Congress, a civil war resulted. Peace was again 




Photograph by Paul Thompson 
DR. ROQUE SAENZ PENA, PRESIDENT OF THE ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 




PLAZA HOTEL, BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 219 

signed in 1865, but the Province of Buenos Aires 
remained independent of the remaining States of the 
Confederation. Four years later the Argentine 
Confederation was again merged in war which 
lasted for two years, after which the Constitution 
was revised and definitely established in 1862 in the 
form in which it now governs the Bepublic. Gen- 
eral Bartolome Mitre, who had done much to pro- 
duce the necessary reform of the Constitution, was 
elected President of the Bepublic and it was during 
his term of office that Don Francisco Solano Lopez, 
the Dictator of Paraguay, who was at war with 
Brazil, invaded the Province of Corrientes without 
the sanction of the Argentine Government. As a re- 
sult of this action Argentina became an ally of Bra- 
zil and Uruguay, and after a war; which continued 
for five years, defeated the Paraguayans and killed 
Lopez. 

General Mitre's successor in the Presidency was 
General Sarmiento, who ruled from 1868 to 1874, 
and to him is largely due the great advance which 
has been made in Public Education. He was suc- 
ceeded by Don Nicholas Avellaneda, who retained 
the Presidency until 1880. During the intervening 
period, with the military assistance of General Julio 
A. Boca, what is known as the conquest of the desert 
took place, the whole of the plains of the Province 
of Buenos Aires having been cleared of Indians, 
who had hitherto impeded the development of the 



220 THE TWO AMERICAS 

agricultural industries in that part of the country. 
In 1880 General Eoca was elected President, and 
on September 21st of the same year the City of 
Buenos Aires was declared the Federal Capital of 
the Eepublic. General Eoca, having completed his 
six years' tenure of the chief magistracy, was fol- 
lowed by Don Miguel Juarez Celman, who resigned 
on the 7th of August, 1890, after a political revolu- 
tion of some importance. The then Vice-President, 
Dr. Carlos Pellegrini, became President and held 
the position until it became vacant by effluxion of 
time. On the 12th of October, 1892, Dr. Luis Saenz 
Pena was elected President, resigning his office in 
January, 1895, and was succeeded in turn, until 1898, 
by the Vice-President, Dr. Jose E. Uriburu. In 
October of that year General Julio A. Eoca again 
became President. With the return of General Eoca 
it was generally felt throughout the country that its 
destinies were to be controlled by a man who com- 
bined the qualities of true statesmanship with those 
of an experienced military commander. He had al- 
ready rendered great service to the Eepublic in the 
defense of law and order, and under his administra- 
tion Argentina entered firmly upon its present stage 
of progress. He likewise was mainly instrumental 
in securing the arbitration of the boundary dispute 
with Chile, which had brought the two countries to 
the verge of war. Dr. Manuel Quintana, an enlight- 
ened patriot and accomplished lawyer, succeeded 



ARGENTINE REPUBLIC 221 

General Eoca in the Presidency, but his unfortunate 
death took place before he had completed the first 
half of his term, when the Vice-President, Dr. 
Figueroa Alcorta, assumed the Chief Magistracy. 
The President now is Dr. Eoque Saenz Pena, whose 
father, as set forth above, had already filled that 
high office. Dr. Eoque Saenz Pena, who is the 
author of several notable works on international 
jurisprudence, is free from party political affilia- 
tions, and his wise administration is popular both 
at home and abroad. 



CHAPTER XIV 

IN CAMP AND CITY 

rpHE ethnical conditions of the Argentine Repub- 
A lie are similar in some respects to those of 
Chile and Uruguay. The native race is gradually 
disappearing and the negro is practically non-exist- 
ent. The unsolved problem of the origin of the 
natives of South America is still discussed with 
much interest and doubt. Aristotle suggested the 
view that at one time there existed a western con- 
tinent corresponding to Africa. He was of the opin- 
ion that it was possible to make a journey from 
Europe to India by a westerly route if the diffi- 
culty of the great extension of the Atlantic could 
have been overcome. It is believed that the Cartha- 
ginians visited Madeira and the Canary Islands, 
while the Roman poets and writers, including Sen- 
eca, speak of lands on the other side of the Atlantic ; 
and it has been proved that the Norsemen entered 
North America by way of Greenland more than a 
thousand years ago. On the other hand the origin 
of the present population of the Argentine Republic 
admits of no doubts of any kind. The people are 
pure white with a predominance of the Spanish type. 
Here have been mixed together the Basques, Cas- 

222 



IN CAMP AND CITY 223 

tilians, Catalans, Andalusians, Galicians and Astu- 
rians; and this mixture has produced a race of 
physical and facial beauty unexcelled in any other 
country of the American continent. To this con- 
siderable Spanish element there must also be added 
the flow of immigrants from other parts of Europe, 
imbued with the spirit of enterprise, labour and 
sincere love of the country of their adoption, who 
have combined to stamp the Argentine Eepublic as 
one of the most progressive countries of modern 
times. Successive governments have realised, to the 
fullest extent, the value of this immigration, which 
is encouraged in every possible way; and it has 
been estimated that each immigrant represents to 
the State a capital of not less than $1,000. 

The newcomers, who hail chiefly from Italy, Spain 
and northern Europe, are placed, on arrival, in the 
Immigrant Hotel, a handsome and spacious edifice 
surrounded by parks and gardens and containing 
comfortable sleeping quarters, dining rooms, drug 
stores, banking agencies, medical service and other 
accommodation with a capacity for housing five 
thousand individuals. The traveller visiting this 
notable institution would imagine himself in a com- 
fortable modern hotel. The immigrants received 
here are treated with solicitous and intelligent care 
and are allocated to the various branches of indus- 
try most suited to their condition, making them feel 
from the day of their arrival on Argentine soil that 



224 THE TWO AMERICAS 

they are in a land of promise, a second fatherland, 
which not only will give them shelter and food but 
will place in their hands the means to acquire in- 
dependence and even wealth according to their ca- 
pacity and energy. It is by these methods, so highly 
civilising and practical, that the Argentine Eepublic 
is receiving every year an increasing inflow of immi- 
grants as was the case in the United States in the 
middle of the last century. These immigrants of 
other races who adopt as their new homes the Ar- 
gentine Republic and other Hispano- American coun- 
tries are easily moulded into the customs and modes 
of thought of the sons of the soil, and in the course 
of a few generations the beautiful language of Cas- 
tile will be the mother-tongue of a new race of Latin- 
Americans in the ' ' continent of the future. ' ' There 
they will also acquire the domestic virtues of the 
people, where the woman is the sovereign of the 
home and preserves the welfare and happiness of 
the family by her modesty, her piety, her self-abne- 
gation and her energy and fortitude. The old and 
honourable Argentine families are zealous in de- 
fence of the healthy and good customs inherited 
from their ancestors and exercise the greatest care 
to see that the old order is not merged into the 
ideas and habits of the newcomers. The effect of 
this is that the children of immigrants, precisely 
as in the United States, become the most enthusi- 
astic and loyal Argentine citizens, thus constituting 



IN CAMP AND CITY 225 

an element of the greatest force in the expansion 
and extended influence of the country. 

Notwithstanding the incessant activity and ever- 
growing importance of the commercial movement 
of the Argentine Eepublic the real source of its vast 
production and the true life of the country are to 
be found in its vast extension of camp, or on the 
great estancias (ranches) whose products enrich 
their owners as well as the food repositories of the 
world. The Argentine land-owner of any impor- 
tance whatever counts the extent of his land by the 
league, numbers his holdings of live-stock by the 
thousands, and employs hundreds of stock-riders, 
shepherds and labourers to tend the animals and 
pastures and to sow and reap his abundant har- 
vests of cereals. On these estancias there is always 
great anxiety for the care of the valuable pedigree 
stock, which in many cases has been bred from 
the most famous English strains, upon which mil- 
lions are being spent. Indeed there is hardly an 
agricultural show held in England where search is 
not made for pedigree animals of the highest quality 
for the supply of the Argentine campo. All the 
animals bred in the Argentine Republic are born 
and raised in the open, and although the best Amer- 
ican stall-fed beef realises a higher price in the 
European markets, experts declare it difficult to 
distinguish the best American beef from the best 
Argentine beef. Though there are many English 



226 THE TWO AMERICAS 

and German estancieros with extensive holdings 
in the central part of the Republic the leading land- 
owners and producers are natives of the country, 
amongst whom may be mentioned such well-known 
names as Cobo, Unzue, Martinez de Hoz, Casares, 
Peyreira, Anchorena and others, who own pedigree 
stock worth millions of dollars. Estancia life in Ar- 
gentina, though apparently one of repose, is really 
one of perpetual activity and incessant industry. 
At every point of their extensive areas, there may 
be seen, from early morn to sunset, troops of stock- 
riders, of gauchos, labourers, harvesters, cultiva- 
tors of the vine and a multiplicity of others, moving 
hither and thither, on horseback or on foot, as cir- 
cumstances require, as though every moment of time 
was a thing of precious value. Yet when the sun 
goes down and the workers return to their homes the 
palatial dwellings of the estancieros and their fam- 
ilies might be envied by the owners of the most beau- 
tiful country homes of England and America. Gen- 
erally surrounded by handsome lawns and flower- 
gardens, with delightful terraces, the houses are 
large, in order to accommodate the ever-present 
guests, and are designed and furnished in the most 
luxurious style. Everyone dresses for dinner and 
the same etiquette is preserved as might be found 
in the baronial halls of England or in the castles of 
France and Spain. All kinds of sport are provided 
and in many instances there are beautiful golf links 



IN CAMP AND CITY 227 

and handsome tennis courts, whilst fishing, shooting 
and riding are to be had in abundance. 

In the case of those estancias largely devoted to 
cattle-raising the animals are either purchased by 
buyers coming to the estate or are sent once or 
twice a year into Buenos Aires for sale by auction, 
and as a rule the proceeds of these sales are used 
for the acquisition of more land for which purpose 
the property already owned is also often mortgaged. 
Nor is this surprising when we see that for the past 
fifty years, despite occasional periods of depression, 
land values have continued to rise, as will undoubt- 
edly be the case for the next fifty years to come. 
These values are based chiefly on the yield, pro- 
ductiveness of the soil, and situation of the property, 
although the market price for cultivated land is to 
some extent fixed by the prices realised at previous 
sales. It is, perhaps, no exaggeration to say that 
a purchaser, at the present time, of land in the 
Argentine Eepublic, railroads or no railroads, at 
anything like current prices, could count for a cer- 
tainty upon multiplying his capital several times in 
the course of a few years; and the reason for this 
is not far to seek. Compared with land in Aus- 
tralia, New Zealand, or other new countries and tak- 
ing into account the yield, acre for acre, the market 
possibilities and the other physical conditions per- 
taining to the land, the Argentine Eepublic would 
show a balance of nearly fifty per cent, in its favour ; 



228 THE TWO AMERICAS 

and it is with this knowledge that the Argentine 
estcmciero will not only utilise his current income 
but will borrow in every direction in order to in- 
crease his land holdings. 

To exclude a reference to the City of Buenos Aires 
from any description of the Argentine Eepublic 
would be equivalent to excising the character of the 
Prince of Denmark from Shakespeare's "Hamlet." 
That beautiful capital is not only a source of pride 
to the Argentine people but to all South Americans, 
and equally a centre of attraction to everyone who 
has seen it. It has long been the second Latin city 
in the world, and with the rapid growth of its popu- 
lation, which amounts already to nearly a million 
and a half of inhabitants, it is within the bounds of 
probability that in the not very remote future it 
may rank on an equal footing with the great cap- 
ital of France. Nor is it merely in the splendid 
architecture of its buildings and residences or in the 
magnificence of its spacious avenues and parks that 
the city merits the description of great. Its phe- 
nomenal progress is to be seen in every branch of 
life from the buzz and movement of its commercial 
and industrial activity to the social and artistic 
spheres. To those who only know that Buenos Aires 
is in South America it will appear fabulous to say, 
yet it is a fact, that the city of Buenos Aires pos- 
sesses the finest opera house, the handsomest club- 
house, two of the greatest newspapers (La Prensa 



IN CAMP AND CITY 229 

and La Nation) and some of the most palatial pri- 
vate residences in the world. The Colon Opera 
House surpasses the best in Europe. Its auditorium 
is larger than that of London, Paris or Berlin, and 
its equipment and appointments are of the most 
luxurious and artistic character, whilst the arrange- 
ment of the building is such that an automobile or 
carriage may be driven into the beautifully paved 
square upon which the house is built, almost to the 
door of any box on the lower tier. But this great 
opera house is by no means the only channel of 
supply of the lyric drama to the people of the 
Argentine Capital. In the winter season there are 
always at least three grand opera houses, with ar- 
tists of world-wide reputation at each of them, in 
full swing, not to mention the additional attractions 
of minor French and Italian operatic performances 
proceeding at the same time. Buenos Aires, in fact, 
is a leading operatic centre and most of the famous 
artists of the world, especially of the Italian school, 
have graduated and won their laurels in that city. 
In the quality and number of its theatres it is 
equally distinguished, and during the season, in ad- 
dition to native companies, there are frequently rep- 
resentations by the greatest artists of the countries 
of Europe. The musical standard of the Argentine 
capital may be gauged by the fact that the city con- 
tains upwards of sixty conservatories, conducted in 
most cases by teachers of great eminence, and by 



230 THE TWO AMERICAS 

the further fact that there is a popular familiarity 
with the most beautiful works of ancient and modern 
composers. In literature and other forms of art 
there is equal interest, which may be explained by 
stating that in the city of Buenos Aires there are 
more University graduates, in proportion to the 
population, than in any other city of the world, not- 
withstanding that the course for a degree involves 
a period of advanced study extending over twelve 
years divided between the National College and the 
University. 

The great avenues of nearly one hundred yards 
in width, the splendid parks and gardens, the pav- 
ing of the streets, the modern and artistic build- 
ings, together with the smart appearance of the 
people, combine to make everything appear beauti- 
ful and large. Its immense port, with its miles of 
wharfage, attracts thousands of steamers from all 
parts of the world to receive the foodstuffs which 
are necessary for consumption in foreign countries, 
giving it an aspect of New York, Liverpool, or Ham- 
burg, while in the aristocratic residential quarter 
one is reminded of the Champs-Elysees of Paris, the 
beautiful avenues of Berlin, and the Fifth Avenue 
of New York. Buenos Aires is at the same time a 
centre of intense work and of a variety of pleasures. 
In the former case it reflects New York and in the 
latter Paris. Horse-racing is one of the principal 
amusements of the natives of Buenos Aires and in 



IN CAMP AND CITY 231 

many instances Argentine owners have paid up- 
wards of $150,000 for a single stud-horse from 
England. Everywhere indeed manifestations are 
to be found of excessive wealth and luxurious expen- 
diture. 

The rapid increase in population and the nar- 
rowness of the streets in the older section of the 
city have produced a great congestion of traffic, 
which, as in other large cities, has become a serious 
problem. Its partial solution, however, has been 
found in the construction of a subway running 
through the most thickly populated parts of the 
city, and this will be shortly opened for public 
service. Accompanied by Sr. Anchorena, the Inten- 
dente (Mayor) of the city, I was permitted to in- 
spect the works and was much struck by the rapid- 
ity and skill with which they were being conducted. 
Buenos Aires also possesses a most efficient and 
up-to-date electric tramway service which has lat- 
terly been extended for several miles in all direc- 
tions out of the city, and this system has been great- 
ly improved by the consolidation of some seven or 
eight systems formerly under individual control. By 
way of illustration of the abnormal growth of the 
city it may be of interest to refer to the fact that it 
was only as recently as 1901, when Mr. C. G. Young, 
an American engineer representing a powerful syn- 
dicate of American and European bankers, visited 
Buenos Aires to make detailed examinations and re- 



232 THE TWO AMERICAS 

ports on the tramways and electric lighting systems, 
with a view to their being extended and amalga- 
mated by the financial groups in question. Mr. 
Young succeeded in working out elaborate plans for 
the electrification of the tramways and for their 
amalgamation with the lighting and power systems, 
but the bankers not having been then familiar with 
the conditions and possibilities of Buenos Aires, 
thought the amount of capital required was alto- 
gether too large to constitute a safe or lucrative 
investment. Shortly afterwards, however, other 
capitalists came forward, the tramways were grad- 
ually converted from horse-traction to electricity, 
the amalgamation of the various companies was 
begun, and centralisation of the electric lighting and 
power corporations was effected, almost precisely 
as had been originally worked out in Mr. Young's 
plans, with results of a favourable character, aston- 
ishing, even to those who were most optimistic in 
their view of the project. More or less similar con- 
ditions existed in Rio de Janeiro, where the present 
magnificent systems of electric tramways and light- 
ing, also originally conceived and planned by Mr. 
Young, for the same financial group, were ultimately 
carried out almost in their entirety, though not by 
those for whom they were originally prepared. The 
delay in the latter case was occasioned by the ne- 
cessity for a more complete sanitation of the har- 
bour, but a want of confidence in the future growth 



IN CAMP AND CITY 233 

of Eio also operated, to a great extent, in prevent- 
ing Mr. Young's plans from being carried out by the 
groups he represented. To-day there is hardly a 
limit to the amount of capital available for the exten- 
sion of public service works in either of the two 
great cities of South America. 

The Park of Palermo, with its imposing trees, its 
extensive walks, and its Botanical Gardens, is unsur- 
passed anywhere; yet if at these centres, at the 
Opera, or at the races, one sees great luxury and 
feverish enjoyment, the reverse of the movement 
may be seen in the activity prevailing in and around 
the port and the docks. These too owe their exten- 
sion to the studies and plans of an American engi- 
neer, Mr. E. L. Corthell, from whose original sug- 
gestions the new deep and long canal, which admits 
steamers of the deepest draught, has been con- 
structed. When the plans of the present port were 
carried into execution it was thought that it would 
be too large, or, at least, would meet the require- 
ments of the country's foreign trade and of the 
growth of the city for the next half -century, but the 
progress has been so extraordinary and unexpected 
that to-day the many miles of docks in the Port of 
Buenos Aires are inadequate to the needs of the 
country's shipping business. Extensions are still 
proceeding on a vigorous scale, and when the works 
now in hand are completed the docks of Buenos 
Aires will be the largest in the world. 



234 THE TWO AMERICAS 

The rapidity of the growth of the population of 
Buenos Aires is greater than that of any modern 
city except, perhaps, some of the cities of the West- 
ern States of America, Sydney (New South Wales), 
and Melbourne (Victoria). Buenos Aires has to- 
day one-fifth of the entire population of the Republic 
which could easily accommodate and give flourishing 
existence to ten times the number of its present in- 
habitants. There are other large cities in the Ar- 
gentine Republic, such as Cordoba, where there is 
a highly cultured society and an ancient university, 
which has been the cradle of many illustrious men, 
but the commercial and intellectual life of the coun- 
try is largely concentrated in Buenos Aires, which 
is its brain and its heart, as is Paris to France; 
and to such an extent is this the case that the Argen- 
tine Republic is frequently described by its native 
sons as "a child with a large head," the country 
signifying the child, and the capital its head. The 
Argentines may be divided into two classes, the resi- 
dent portenos or natives of the Capital and those 
who live in the cities of the provinces and the coun- 
try districts, but, although the progressive habits 
and the ideas of the people of the Capital are per- 
meating many of the provincial cities, Buenos Aires 
necessarily maintains her splendid supremacy. 



CHAPTER XV 

ARGENTINE CONDITIONS, PROGRESS AND CULTURE 

rriHE Argentine Republic has not yet arrived at 
-■- the fullness of her forces. She is still in her 
early youth with the future smiling upon her from 
all sides. Her march on the path of civilisation and 
prosperity has constituted a long chain of success- 
ful conquests and gives admirable promise for the 
future ; and here I would express the hope that the 
sister nations will follow on the road so wisely 
mapped out by this great country of South America, 
so that all, united in their forces, may realise that 
their part of the continent will become the home, 
during the present century, of a large portion of 
the human race. It should be a source of pride to 
American readers to know that the Constitution of 
the Argentine Republic is modelled upon that of 
the United States, with possibly a higher degree of 
liberty for its inhabitants. In the great southern 
Republic religious or racial prejudices are unknown. 
The liberty of the subject is complete and everyone 
is free to practise his religion or his lawful avoca- 
tion with the utmost freedom. There is a State 
Religion which in no way imposes burdens upon, 

235 



236 THE TWO AMERICAS 

or creates restrictions for, persons of other forms of 
religious belief. Tolerance and freedom are the 
watchwords of the national legislation, whilst the 
liberality of the treatment of the foreigner is un- 
equalled in any other country. Although it is neces- 
sary that the incumbents of most of the official posi- 
tions in the Republic should be citizens, the naturali- 
sation laws are such as to permit of the appoint- 
ment of foreigners to many important posts by 
means of special exceptions provided for by the 
laws. The life of the country is delightful for the 
educated foreigner who is hospitably welcomed by 
his own classes amongst the natives, most of whom 
are able to converse in several European languages. 
It is, however, a curious and unfortunate fact that 
of the foreign communities resident in that Republic 
the English and the Americans are most deficient in 
this respect. 

There are few countries in the world where na- 
tional and municipal statistics are more carefully 
compiled and more elaborately presented than in the 
Argentine Republic. Yet it is a curious fact that, 
although the era of modern Argentina began when 
Sarmiento assumed the Presidency of the Republic 
in 1868, only two national censuses have been taken 
since that time, one in 1869, and the next in 1895. 
Legislation, I believe, has been introduced during 
the past few years for the purpose of securing an- 
other official count of the population (with provi- 



PROGRESS AND CULTURE237 

sion for the operation to be repeated at the end of 
each succeeding decade), but at the present mo- 
ment estimates of the number of inhabitants are 
largely based on assumption. 

According to the National Census of 1895, which 
showed a total population of 3,954,911, there were 
2,950,384 Argentines and 1,004,527 foreigners. Of 
the latter there were 492,676 Italians, 198,685 Span- 
iards, 21,758 British, 17,143 Germans, and 1,381 
North Americans. The greatest increase in the 
number of foreign inhabitants since 1895 has been 
amongst the Italians and Spaniards, the total num- 
ber of whom may be said to-day to be at least double 
that given in the 1895 census. The English and 
German colonies have likewise largely increased, 
but, taking into account the limited character of the 
commercial relations of the Argentine Eepublic with 
the United States in former years, together with 
other circumstances, I doubt whether the present 
number of American citizens in Argentina is much 
in excess of the figures given in 1895. The struggle 
for commercial supremacy in the Argentine market 
has for many years past been between British and 
German manufacturers, and, although the precise 
number of the respective nationals of those coun- 
tries actually resident in Argentina is a matter of 
official doubt, the proportionate growth of the two 
communities between 1869 and 1895 would afford 



238 THE TWO AMERICAS 

solid grounds for assuming that the German popu- 
lation of Argentina is infinitely larger than the 
British and has been growing proportionately to 
the increased German commerce in that Eepublic. 
In 1869 the German population was given as 4,991 
in a proportion of three per thousand of the total 
population of the country, and the British as 10,637, 
in a proportion of six per thousand of the whole. 
In 1895 the number of German inhabitants had 
reached 17,143, equalling five per thousand of the 
total, whilst the British subjects had grown to the 
extent of 21,768, but still only in the proportion of 
six per thousand of the total. Hence, if the pro- 
portionate growth of the British and German popu- 
lation in Argentina has proceeded on the same lines 
since the date of the last census, it is obvious that 
to-day the German residents in the Argentine Re- 
public are, numerically speaking, infinitely stronger 
than the British. Looking also to the enormous in- 
crease in the population of the city of Buenos Aires 
and to the official estimate of the total number of 
inhabitants of the Eepublic, at the present time of 
nearly eight millions, it is reasonable to suppose that 
a very large proportion is of foreign birth. 

These and other foreign elements in the country 
have contributed very considerably to its develop- 
ment. The British community probably now num- 
bers upwards of 30,000 subjects, representing rail- 



PROGRESS AND CULTURE 239 

way, banking, commercial, landed and industrial in- 
terests ; and, estimating the total British capital em- 
ployed in these enterprises at $2,000,000,000, it 
would mean that every British subject in that coun- 
try, man, woman and child, is an individual asset of 
about $66,000. German capital invested in Argen- 
tina, though constantly increasing, does not reach 
the proportions of the capital from the British Isles, 
which also embraces practically all the National 
Loan Issues of the Argentine Government and the 
leading railroads. German investments are chiefly 
in industrial and commercial undertakings, the for- 
mer including tramways and a monopoly of the elec- 
tric lighting and principal power stations in the 
Eepublic. The increase in German trade is largely 
due to the more enterprising methods and thorough- 
ness of the Germans. Unlike the British and Amer- 
icans, they rapidly assimilate with the people of 
the country and acquire their customs and language 
with facility. They also make a point of having 
established in their principal Consulates throughout 
South America competent commercial attaches who 
assist the home manufacturers in extending their 
trade. Of the one million or more Italians in the 
Argentine Republic the great majority are of the in- 
dustrial classes and constitute the labouring popula- 
tion of the Eepublic. The Spaniards, distinguished 
for their honesty, largely make up the small trading 
class, with a sprinkling of commercial houses of 



240 THE TWO AMERICAS 

some magnitude, and the North Americans com- 
prise, principally, the representatives of American 
manufacturing interests. There are many other for- 
eign communities in the Eepublic, as may be seen by 
the number of newspapers printed in different lan- 
guages, but, with the exception of the subjects of 
France, Holland and Belgium, especially the latter, 
their financial and commercial status is insignifi- 
cant. 

The investment of foreign capital in the Argentine 
Eepublic is of fabulous proportions, but the fact 
that it has reached those dimensions is not entirely 
due to the existence of the country's vast resources 
and to the opportunities presented for a handsome 
return, but largely to the honesty of the Argentine 
Nation and to the liberality and care bestowed upon 
the protection of foreign interests; and as some 
confirmation of this statement I need only refer to 
the fact that nearly twenty years ago, when the 
Argentine Republic had not attained its present 
great prosperity, the National Government assumed 
responsibility for the loans issued abroad of many 
of the Argentine Provinces (then in default), 
amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars. The 
appreciation of the foreign bankers and bond-hold- 
ers of this generous and honourable act was exhib- 
ited by their presentation to the Argentine Govern- 
ment of an immense and magnificent silver statue, 
bearing an appropriate and eulogistic inscription; 



PROGRESS AND CULTURE241 

and that statue stands out prominently in the centre 
of the inner chamber of the Ministry of Finance as 
an unqualified recognition of the high standard of 
national credit. Even during the periods of de- 
pression inflicted upon the country by disturbed po- 
litical conditions, the service of the Argentine Public 
Foreign Debt was always scrupulously maintained 
and only interrupted on one occasion by a mora- 
torium, continued over a short period, owing to a 
then pending reorganization of national finances. 
But apart from these high recommendations to pub- 
lic confidence the investor abroad in Argentine un- 
dertakings has been liberally rewarded by the return 
of lucrative dividends. At the present time there 
is being remitted to Great Britain alone, by way 
of dividends and interest, a sum equal to nearly 
$100,000,000 per annum, so that when the amount of 
British capital employed in the Argentine Eepublic, 
in respect of which the profits remain in the coun- 
try, is taken into consideration the yield upon the 
other British investments will be seen to be of a 
particularly generous character. Yet the Eepublic 
is still in its infancy and the opportunities for the 
foreign investor and trader are equally as great 
to-day as they were twenty years ago. 

The revolutionary period in the Argentine Re- 
public is but a memory of the past, no serious sub- 
versive movement having taken place since 1890, and 
in the few instances of minor outbreaks, which have 



242 THE TWO AMERICAS 

subsequently occurred in the more distant autono- 
mous Provinces, the National Government has inter- 
vened and has occasionally sent Federal Troops for 
the re-establishment of law and order. The Govern- 
ment of the Argentine Eepublic is as stable as that 
of any European country; and it is safe to assert 
that to-day there is an utter absence of anything in 
the nature of graft or corruption in the higher 
branches of the public service. The military 
strength of the Republic has been latterly aug- 
mented by the new "Law of Enrolment," which 
enforces military service, in case of need, upon all 
male citizens between 21 and 40 years of age, whilst 
the naval efficiency of the country will be added to 
materially by the completion of the second new 
battleship now being constructed in the United 
States. But the people of Argentina, whilst warmly 
patriotic, are by no means warlike in their tenden- 
cies, and there is now, happily, no prospect of war 
with any of their neighbours. The boundary dis- 
pute with Chile, which in 1900 brought the two coun- 
tries almost to the point of war, was averted by a 
reference of the whole matter to arbitration by the 
late King Edward, who fulfilled the delicate duty to 
the complete satisfaction of both Republics, between 
which there now prevails complete harmony and 
growing friendship. At even a much later period a 
war-cloud overhung the rivalries of Argentina and 
Brazil, but the wisdom and sense of justice of the 



PROGRESS AND CULTURE 243 

statesmen of both countries, realising the possibil- 
ities of such a disaster to the entire continent, 
brought about an adjustment of the differences, with 
the result that the two countries are marching to- 
gether, hand in hand, as examples to be followed by 
all the sister Republics. 

As in all the countries of Latin- America — and in- 
deed in others to-day — politics for many years over- 
shadowed national administration, the political 
power having been largely in the hands of the few 
who dominated public affairs and controlled party 
issues. Successive governments, however, and no- 
tably the present Administration, have sought to 
secure freedom of election and obedience to the 
popular will. The latest effort in this direction is 
the new Election Law which came into operation 
last year. Under this enactment every male citi- 
zen of full age is compelled to vote at all national 
elections and can only be given immunity for a viola- 
tion of that civic duty in case of proofs of incapacity 
through sickness, absence or other good cause. I 
have already referred to the large number of uni- 
versity graduates in the City of Buenos Aires in 
proportion to the population and I would mention 
them again, especially the younger men amongst 
them, as well as those preparing to take their de- 
grees, as it is largely in their hands that the future 
destinies of the Republic lie. It is among those 
educated young men that intelligent public opinion 



244 THE TWO AMERICAS 

upon matters of national interest is moulded, and 
as a result they exercise considerable influence in 
domestic legislation. Nor is this advance in legis- 
lative matters confined to home affairs. Acts of 
Congress are frequently introduced with a view to 
improving the Diplomatic and Consular Services, 
which have already attained a high degree of effi- 
ciency. Amongst the foreign diplomats at Wash- 
ington but few have been more distinguished than 
the Ministers of the Argentine Kepublic at that 
Capital. As examples one might mention Dr. Estan- 
islao S. Zeballos, one of the most erudite Professors 
of International Jurisprudence in Latin- America ; 
Dr. Vicente Quesada, the eminent jurist and author 
of that delightful work, "Recollections of My Dip- 
lomatic Life"; Dr. Martin Garcia Merou, the author 
of the "History of American Diplomacy"; Dr. Epi- 
fanio Portela, who was at the head of every move- 
ment for extending the commercial and friendly re- 
lations of the United States with the Latin Repub- 
lics; and Dr. Romulo S. Naon, the present distin- 
guished head of the Argentine Legation, whose ex- 
ceptional merits and services have brought him 
many honours in the United States, including the 
Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from one of 
its leading universities. Nor is it alone in her rep- 
resentatives at Washington that Argentina (may 
claim just pride in her Diplomatic Corps. There are 
also the Dominguez Family, who have charge of the 



PROGRESS AND CULTURE245 

Legation in London, together with the very impor- 
tant financial representation of the Kepublic for the 
last twenty years or more ; Dr. Rodriguez Larreta, 
the present Minister to Paris, who excels both in 
literature and diplomacy; and many others of the 
past and the present whose names are household 
words in diplomatic circles. The Argentine Repub- 
lic has not, like Brazil, raised its Legation at Wash- 
ington to the rank of an Embassy for the reason that 
the National Constitution of the Republic makes no 
provision for an ambassador and limits its diplo- 
mats to the positions of Ministers Plenipotentiary, 
Ministers Resident and Charges d' Affaires, but, 
whilst no direct step has yet been taken to amend 
the Constitution in this respect or otherwise, for the 
elevation of the grade of its representatives abroad, 
it is contended by many leading authorities in the 
Republic that the change may be introduced with- 
out an amendment of the Constitution. With this 
in view all Missions to foreign countries for the per- 
formance of special duties have been designated as 
"Special Embassies," and the distinguished Argen- 
tine statesman, Dr. Benito Villanueva, who has been 
named as envoy to the United States, to officially 
thank the Government of that country for its par- 
ticipation in the recent Centennial Celebrations, will 
enjoy the rank of "Special Ambassador." Diplo- 
macy, international law and constitutional practice 
would appear to be the particular bent of Argentine 



246 THE TWO AMERICAS 

public men, amongst whom there are many of world- 
wide fame for their achievements in those branches 
of study. They are all disciples and admirers of 
Alexander Hamilton and many of them are worthy 
followers of that great man. Amongst those of the 
present generation the name of Drago stands out 
preeminently. It was the famous Note of Dr. Luis 
M. Drago addressed to the United States Govern- 
ment in 1902, when he was Minister of Foreign 
Affairs of the Argentine Eepublic, that formulated 
what is now known throughout the world as the 
''Drago" or ''South American" Doctrine, which 
opposes the collection of contractual debts of States 
to private foreign citizens or subjects, by means of 
armed force, a Doctrine that was subscribed to by 
most of the nations of the world, including the 
United States, through their Delegates at the last 
Peace Conference at The Hague. Of a former gen- 
eration there was that great lawyer, Dr. Nicolas A. 
Calvo, whose translation (published in 1860) with 
notes, of Story's "Commentaries upon the Federal 
Constitution of the United States," is a classic 
throughout Latin-America, whilst there are many 
others, of the past and the present, whose names are 
equally famous. I do not pretend to fathom the 
reason for this remarkable leaning on the part of 
the Argentines to the special study of international 
and constitutional law, but it is a curious fact that 
in the same degree as the city of Buenos Aires has 



PROGRESS AND CULTURE247 

been for years an operatic centre, it has also been 
the cradle of many, if not of most, of the present 
great diplomats of the world, for, notwithstanding 
that all the Diplomatic Missions to the Argentine 
Republic are below the rank of Embassies for the 
reasons stated above, since it is an international cus- 
tom for one country to return a diplomat of the same 
rank as is sent by the other, the great countries of 
the world have sent their most brilliant men to rep- 
resent them in that Republic. Despite the compara- 
tively high cost of living and of maintaining a suit- 
able appearance by a foreign diplomat in Buenos 
Aires, the life for members of that charmed circle 
in the Argentine metropolis is ideal and during some 
recent administrations their many privileges in- 
cluded a special large box at the Opera House placed 
at their disposal free of charge. 



CHAPTER XVI 

ARGENTINE COMMERCE AND FINANCE 

npHE total value of Argentine imports and exports 
*• during the year 1912, amounting to $865,244,- 
725 (exclusive of the value of the imports and ex- 
ports of gold), though largely in excess of the value 
of the commerce of any other country on the Amer- 
ican continent, excepting the United States, is ren- 
dered more significant by the facts that, firstly, only 
a very limited area of the country is under cultiva- 
tion or prepared for the raising of stock; and sec- 
ondly, the entire population of the country, esti- 
mated at 8,000,000, would show a proportion of about 
$120 per inhabitant, a figure not reached by any 
other country in America. The exports of meat and 
cereals, to Great Britain alone, in 1912 were of a 
value of $160,000,000, or in the proportion of 36i/ 2 
per cent, of the entire British imports of those staple 
articles of consumption, whilst the imports of the 
same products of the United Kingdom from the 
United States did not reach one-third of that sum. 
It should, however, be stated that in the meat ex- 
ports from the Argentine Republic the American- 
owned packing houses contributed a large share. 

248 



COMMERCE — FINANCE 249 

The value of the Argentine market to the United 
States may be gauged by the statement that during 
the last year American exports to that Republic 
amounted to $53,158,179, or a sum equal to the total 
value of American exports to Brazil, Colombia, Peru 
and Venezuela combined, and more than double the 
amount of the value of United States exports to 
Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Bolivia, Paraguay and 
French Guiana, together. On the other hand the 
United States imported from the Argentine Repub- 
lic products and merchandise valued at $32,391,348, 
the latter consisting chiefly of hides, wool, quebracho 
and other raw materials, whilst the exports from the 
United States were principally agricultural imple- 
ments, freight and passenger cars, machinery, steel 
rails, twine, wire, oils and furniture. When it is 
remembered that the increase in the amount of 
American exports to the Argentine Republic has 
been brought about more by a better knowledge of 
the conditions of the United States amongst Argen- 
tine importers than by any special efforts on the 
part of American manufacturers it will be seen that 
great openings are offered for a vast extension of 
American trade in Argentina. Many articles of 
manufacture, produced on an extensive scale in the 
United States and used largely in the southern Re- 
public, are imported from Europe at higher prices 
than those at which they could be brought from the 
United States, and I am merely reflecting the opin- 



250 THE TWO AMERICAS 

ion of competent authorities when I say that it is 
only necessary for the American manufacturer and 
the Argentine importer to be brought into closer 
contact to largely extend their commercial relations. 
Care, however, must be taken to secure suitable 
representation in the Argentine Kepublic, as many 
highly reputable American industrial and commer- 
cial concerns have suffered in loss of business as 
well as in reputation, in Argentina, through unnec- 
essary misrepresentations made in the past by un- 
scrupulous travelling representatives. 

The development of Argentine railways is like- 
wise proceeding at a rapid pace, there being a 
total mileage of over 20,000 miles against less than 
half that mileage in 1900, whilst extensions and 
branch lines running into thousands of miles are at 
the present time under construction or survey. 
These railways are mostly British and are incor- 
porated under the English Company Laws, British 
capital to the extent of upwards of $1,000,000,000 
being invested in them. Most of the companies pay 
steady dividends of from six to eight per cent, per 
annum and construct many of their extensions out 
of revenue, whilst their property holdings are con- 
stantly increasing in value. 

The Argentine Eepublic is the only Latin- Ameri- 
can country where, without the establishment of a 
definite gold standard, there is a fixed barrier to 
currency fluctuations. Prior to 1891 so much dis- 



COMMERCE — FINANCE 251 

turbance was caused to commerce by the violent 
changes in the premium on gold that it became nec- 
essary to legislate to place the currency on a more 
substantial basis. A law was then passed, under 
the title of the Conversion Law, fixing the value of 
the national currency at 44 per cent, of the value of 
gold, or in other words, of making $227.27, national 
currency, equal to $100 gold. For that purpose a 
Conversion Fund was established in order that pub- 
lic exchange of gold and paper might be made at 
these rates. This fund was provided by the appro- 
priation of certain sources of national revenue and 
was to be added to by annual increments until it 
reached a total of $30,000,000, gold, which, with the 
gold reserves then in hand and to be accumulated, 
were to be employed exclusively for the conversion 
of currency. In June, 1913, the value of these gold 
reserves in the National Conversion Office amounted 
to $264,189,639, a sum equal to upwards of 80 per 
cent, of the total paper and silver currency of the 
Republic, and under the Law they cannot be applied 
to any other purpose than for the conversion of 
currency at the established rate, thus rendering it 
impossible that any fluctuations can occur in the 
gold premium. With this vast wealth ever increas- 
ing in volume it has frequently been asked why 
the Argentine Republic does not finally establish a 
gold standard. The answer to this question is that 
the currency is on so permanent a basis and is so 



252 THE TWO AMERICAS 

well understood in foreign countries as to prac- 
tically render it unnecessary to even temporarily 
dislocate the commerce of the Republic by sudden 
changes in its monetary system. It is also urged 
that changes in the monetary unit or systems of a 
country are of rare occurrence, very few instances 
having occurred in Europe during the last fifty 
years. Nevertheless several projects have been sub- 
mitted during latter years in Argentina with that 
object in view, most important of these having been 
the measure introduced into Congress in 1908 by 
the late Mr. Ernesto Tornquist, the well-known Ar- 
gentine banker. That gentleman proposed a change 
of the present monetary unit of the peso to the type 
of the franc, the equivalent of which was used in 
some eleven or twelve countries with which the 
Argentine Republic had commercial relations. The 
draft-law also contained a provision for the issue 
of gold-notes which would at the same time have 
brought about an obligatory gold standard. It was 
pointed out, when submitted, that the measure would 
not only simplify and solidify the national monetary 
system but that it would also cheapen the cost of 
living and of production. It was likewise suggested 
that the agricultural labourers from Southern 
Europe, who were accustomed to the franc, the lira, 
or the peseta, would prefer a larger number of the 
latter units to a smaller number of pesos, even 
though the latter might be of greater intrinsic value. 



COMMERCE — FINANCE 253 

Mr. Tornquist's project has been allowed to lapse 
and although the last Administration submitted a 
Law to Congress embodying other changes in the 
monetary system no definite steps have so far been 
taken for the reorganization of existing conditions. 
Nor, really, is this necessary for any other purpose 
than that of getting rid of the present cumbersome 
methods of calculation incidental to the conversion 
of gold into paper or vice versa. The guaranties 
behind the paper and silver currency of the Argen- 
tine Kepublic are greater than many, and as great 
as any, of the guaranties provided by other coun- 
tries for the protection and security of their na- 
tional issues. The credit of the Eepublic stands high 
above that of many countries of the world, and for 
this reason it is an inexplicable fact that the bonds 
of part of an Internal Argentine Loan, issued in 
1909 on a 5 per cent, basis, taken by American bank- 
ers, have had to be sold in London, owing to the 
limited market for them in the United States, where 
they are still nominally quoted around 96. Although 
no special guaranties are attached to these particu- 
lar bonds they are in every sense as safe and sound 
as United States Treasury Bonds or British Govern- 
ment Securities. Here I take leave to suggest that 
the reasons usually given in the United States for 
the limited extent of such investments are not alto- 
gether correct. The principal reason, in my judg- 
ment, is the want of knowledge of the true condi- 



254 THE TWO AMERICAS 

tions of the great countries of Latin- America. It 
is admittedly true that the United States provides 
abundant channels for the investment of American 
money but it is also true that there are few foreign 
Government Securities which offer so much security 
and so lucrative a yield as those of the Argentine 
Eepublic. 

The relations of the Argentine Eepublic with all 
her neighbours and the other countries of the world 
are entirely free from political or diplomatic entan- 
glements. Such boundary disputes as she may have 
had with some of the adjoining countries have been, 
or are in course of being, amicably adjusted. There 
is no foreign policy other than that of cultivating 
friendly and closer commercial relations with the 
rest of the world, her position amongst the nations 
being one of complete independence in every respect. 
The Argentine people are not unmindful of the fact 
that to Great Britain and other European countries 
the Republic owes, to a great extent, its present 
great development. At the same time Argentina's 
situation is such as to entitle her to open her markets 
to the countries which offer the greatest advantages, 
and to give special facilities to the nations which 
purchase the greater part of her products. The 
Tariff Laws are so framed as to make them of a 
reciprocal or retaliatory character, as may be neces- 
sary to meet the Tariff Laws of other nations. This 
policy has been consistently adopted for many years 



COMMERCE — FINANCE 255 

past, and it has been the constant desire of succes- 
sive Argentine governments to deal in a spirit of 
genuine reciprocity with those countries which 
favour her products. Between the United States and 
the Argentine Bepublic there is still much to be done 
upon those lines, and with the rapidly extending 
commerce between the two countries there is no 
doubt that new reciprocal measures of mutual ad- 
vantage will be initiated at no very distant date. 



CHAPTER XVII 

THE REPUBLIC OF PERU 

TT'ROM Molendo to Paita, almost up to the 
* boundary line of Ecuador, the Peruvian coast 
is as bare of vegetation as the Desert of Sahara, 
whilst for an extension of more than 3,500 kilome- 
tres, from Tumbez to Valparaiso, the temperature is 
lowered by the Humboldt currents. Travelling 
along these arid and barren coasts one is able to 
better appreciate the courage and the indomitable 
energy of Pizarro, Almagro, Valdivia, and the other 
early explorers, who, after leaving the Isthmus of 
Panama where tropical vegetation abounded, ex- 
plored, in their primitive vessels, this vast region, 
without finding drinkable water, without seeing a 
single plant, and far from all contact with civilisa- 
tion, without obtaining food. Their arduous efforts, 
however, were rewarded when they approached the 
valleys which form a remarkable contrast to the 
surrounding desert. In many of these valleys there 
are numberless palms and willows with magnificent 
foliage, fruit gardens and fields of sugar cane, corn 
and alfalfa, whilst in others there are productive 
vineyards and olive yards as well as pasture for 

256 



THE REPUBLIC OF PERU 257 

cattle and horses which thrive on the nourishing 
yellow pods one sees in all directions. 

Callao is the principal port of Peru and is situ- 
ated at a distance of only nine kilometres from 
the Capital. It is deep and well sheltered by a 
chain of low mountains which surround the bay, 
and although of considerable importance through 
the extensive movement of foreign shipping and the 
fact that it is the converging point of practically the 
whole of the commerce of the interior of the Bepub- 
lic, it is merely a forwarding port, the city itself 
being limited to the Government Offices, the de- 
spatching agencies, and the ruins of the old port of 
San Felipe, the last of those which flew the Spanish 
flag. Its close proximity to Lima, with which it is 
connected by an electric tramway, has hitherto im- 
peded building operations, but with the approaching 
completion of the Panama Canal, which will greatly 
extend the country's commerce, sanitary and other 
reforms are now being undertaken, and there is lit- 
tle doubt that in the course of a few years the city, 
as well as the port, of Callao will assume greatly 
extended proportions. 

Lima, the historic and picturesque Capital of 
Peru, is built at the foot of a chain of hills and 
close to the Height of San Cristobal whose shadows 
tower over the City. Pizarro, its founder, called it 
the "City of the Kings," probably in remembrance 
of the "three wise men from the East"; but that 



258 THE TWO AMERICAS 

description was subsequently replaced by the name 
of Lima. The city extends over a wide and flat 
valley bounded on the north by a range of moun- 
tains, and on the east by the Andes, which are al- 
most hidden from view by the generally cloudy sky. 
The waters of the river irrigate part of the sur- 
rounding lands, which produce a beautiful and abun- 
dant vegetation, the remaining areas being sandy 
and barren like the coast already described. During 
the colonial period Lima was the most important 
city in America. Its Viceroy, who had no superiors 
except the King of Spain and the Judges of the 
Inquisition, was the most powerful and influential 
personage on the continent and the pomp and cere- 
mony of his Court outrivalled those of Eastern po- 
tentates. Lima counts amongst its inhabitants many 
families of noble Spanish origin, and for that reason 
it has been described as "a precious shrine of co- 
lonial gallantries and splendours.' ' In this respect 
it shares with Bogota, Santiago and Quito the pos- 
session of a society made up largely of families of 
pure Spanish race who have inherited the dignity 
and aristocratic qualities of the highest classes of 
the mother-country. The city is noted for its beau- 
tiful buildings and squares of the old Spanish type, 
which is still preserved, notwithstanding the temp- 
tations to adopt the modern embellishments of other 
South American capitals. The Cathedral is con- 
sidered to be the most beautiful in South America, 



THE REPUBLIC OF PERU 259 

though less ancient than other landmarks, owing to 
the destruction by earthquake of the original edi- 
fice which was founded by Pizarro in 1540. The 
city also contains many notable educational estab- 
lishments, including the universities, the special 
Schools of Mining Engineering, Eailways, Electric- 
ity, Agronomy, Medicine, Law and Commerce, and 
among other institutions the famous Atheneum, all 
of which have combined to add to the culture and 
advanced knowledge of the Peruvian people, who 
excel in literary and poetic qualities. 

The chief products of Peru are those of mining 
and agriculture and since the loss of the nitrate 
Provinces these industries have been brought to a 
high state of development, many foreign companies 
being now engaged in further exploiting the vast 
mineral wealth of the country. Eailways are being 
constructed with great activity, not only for the 
interchange of commerce with the neighbouring Ee- 
publics but also for the purpose of placing the cen- 
tral government in closer touch with the distant 
Amazonic regions, where the atrocities committed 
in the rubber regions recently created a feeling of 
horror throughout the civilised world. These shock- 
ing occurrences, largely due to the absence of direct 
administrative control and to boundary disputes 
with the adjacent Eepublics, have happily termi- 
nated, and with wireless telegraphic communication 
with Iquitos, in which direction railroads are like- 



260 THE TWO AMERICAS 

wise being extended, the Peruvian Government will 
henceforth be able to maintain the conditions of 
law and order which it has already commenced to 
implant. Amongst the various railways now under 
survey or construction one of the most important 
will be that to unite Lima with La Paz, which will 
greatly facilitate the completion of the inter-con- 
tinental railroad from Alaska to the Straits of Ma- 
gellan. Already steps have been taken by Mr. Minor 
Keith, who has done so much for railway extension 
in Central America, to connect these roads with the 
Panama Canal, and as these in turn, at no very 
distant date, will be joined up with the railroads of 
Mexico there will only be lacking the link from the 
Isthmus of Panama (across Colombia to Ecuador) 
to connect the intercontinental road with the rail- 
roads of Peru. Thus with the lines from Lima to 
La Paz extending to those of Chile and the latter 
joined with those of Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil, 
the completion of the intercontinental route, through 
the two Americas, is only a matter of a compara- 
tively short time. 

For some time before and after the war with 
Chile the Eepublic was burdened with excessive 
debt incurred through the extravagance of succes- 
sive administrations, and in the later eighties, subse- 
quent to the loss of the Provinces containing the 
nitrate deposits, this burden became so intolerable 
that Peru was compelled, in 1889, to surrender to a 



THE REPUBLIC OF PERU 261 

British enterprise known as the Peruvian Corpora- 
tion, the whole of the State Eailways, the free use 
of certain ports and the rights to the remaining 
guano deposits for a term of 66 years, in order to 
pay off the then large national indebtedness. The 
operation, however, was equally favorable to Peru 
and to the foreign holders of her national bonds (the 
service of which had for some time been unfulfilled) 
as Peru was thus enabled to use her revenues for the 
development of other industries, while the foreign 
bondholders were placed in a favourable position by 
the opportunity presented for the conversion of 
their unremunerative national securities into divi- 
dend-paying stock of a powerful British corpora- 
tion. The foreign debt of Peru is to-day of insig- 
nificant proportions in relation to the extent of the 
country's resources, which have now entered upon 
a stage of development that gives assurance of a 
great and prosperous future, and the latest national 
statistics afford further evidence of the advance of 
national industry and commerce since economy has 
been the guiding principle of recent governments. 
Peru, like most of her sister Republics, has suffered 
from the effects of international disputes regarding 
the vexed question of boundary limits, but just as a 
peaceful adjustment of the differences with Chile, 
touching the Provinces of Tacna and Arica was 
ultimately reached by the wisdom of prevailing 
counsels, so will her frontier difficulties with Colom- 



262 THE TWO AMERICAS 

bia and Ecuador be finally settled, when all these 
nations, in the peaceful possession of their properly 
defined rich territories, will be able to devise means 
for a profitable interchange of their respective prod- 
ucts and commerce. 

No census has been taken in Peru since 1876 when 
even the computation of the number of inhabitants 
then made was considered imperfect. Looking, how- 
ever, at the various later estimates of population 
and taking into consideration the better means now 
available for ascertaining the numerical strength of 
the Indian tribes, it would be fair to assume that 
Peru's total population numbers about 4,000,000, 
largely made up of mixtures and submixtures of 
the white and colored races. As I have already 
pointed out, Spanish blood has always been domi- 
nant amongst the white inhabitants, but the inter- 
marriage of the old Spanish settlers with the high- 
est type of Indians has produced a race embodying 
very exceptional characteristics. The Indians are 
mostly descendants of the Incas, or of the tribes un- 
der their rule at the time of the Conquerors, and 
constitute, to a large extent, the industrial element 
amongst the people. There still exist several tribes 
of wild Indians, some of whom inhabit the forests, 
and in many places have no contact of any kind with 
white people. There are also many Africans and 
Asiatics, the former of whom live in the towns and 
the latter on the coast, whilst the foreign popula- 



THE REPUBLIC OF PERU 263 

tion is almost entirely to be found in the Capital. 
As in the case of other countries on the west coast 
of South America, the population of Peru has been 
necessarily restricted by the absence of immigration, 
due to its geographical situation, but with an area 
of about 500,000 square miles, a large portion of 
which is available for agricultural and mineral de- 
velopment, it can hardly be doubted that the open- 
ing of the Panama Canal will bring a considerable 
influx of foreign population. 

Although the interchange of commerce between 
Peru and the United States is rapidly growing, the 
largest share of Peru's foreign trade has always 
gone to Great Britain, which probably explains the 
very wide adoption, throughout the Kepublic, of 
British ideas and customs. In the national currency 
the libra, or the pound sterling, is the monetary 
unit and is uniform in weight and fineness with the 
English sovereign, from which it was modelled, the 
first machinery for its production having been bor- 
rowed from the English Mint, and in this connection 
it may be of interest to point out that even to a 
greater extent than in Argentina or in Chile, British 
names are common in Peru. The actual President, 
Senor Billinghurst, is of English origin, while the 
same may be said of many other notabilities of the 
Eepublic. In other cases the Peruvian descendants 
of foreign colonists are connected by marriage with 
English families, and one of the sons of Peru's dip- 



264 THE TWO AMERICAS 

lomatic representative in London is an officer in the 
British Army. In noting these surroundings of a 
British atmosphere it should be made clear that no 
political significance attaches to the suggestion, al- 
though it is always remembered that Peru largely 
owes her independence (with the aid of San Martin) 
to the fleet of armed ships fitted out at Valparaiso, 
under the command of Lord Cochrane (afterwards 
Earl of Dundonald) and manned by British officers 
and sailors. Since that time Peru has undergone 
many territorial and political changes, but, animated 
by an ardent patriotic spirit and a desire for ma- 
terial and moral progress, the people of Peru have 
been strengthened in their national ambitions by 
the foreign influences to which I have referred. 

In a brief sketch of the country and its people 
it is unnecessary to deal with the scientific or his- 
toric value of its ancient treasures. They have 
formed and continue to form a subject of universal 
interest, notably in the United States, some of whose 
eminent authorities are at present engaged in the 
effort to enlighten the world upon these matters, 
but I would again make passing reference to the 
national literature, which is of an exceedingly high 
standard. Amongst Peru's modern authors may be 
mentioned Segura ; Salaverri, who as a poet has no 
equal in Spanish America; Arestegui, a distin- 
guished novelist; Ricardo Palma, the historian; 
Felipe Pardo, whose works are known wherever the 




CATHEDRAL, LIMA, PERU 




GOVERNMENT PALACE, BOLIVIA 



THE REPUBLIC OF PERU 265 

Spanish language is spoken, and many others of 
fame in the world of letters; and to come down to 
the present time one may point to Senor Pezet, the 
son of the Peruvian Minister to the United States 
(himself educated in England and a litterateur of a 
high order) and Secretary of the Legation, who 
quite recently delighted Washington society by pro- 
ducing in that Capital a play which disclosed more 
than ordinary skill both in its literary and dramatic 
construction. 



CHAPTER XVIII 



THE REPUBLIC OF BOLIVIA 



T N my travels on the coasts of Chile and Peru, on 
■*■ whose borders, in the interior, lie the rich lands 
of Bolivia, I had many opportunities of seeing the 
progress, in recent years, of that rising Republic, 
which has been described by a native writer of dis- 
tinction as "a country of contrasts." Its topogra- 
phy, climate, products and inhabitants constitute an 
aggregation of heterogeneous elements so widely 
different in character as to make it difficult to be- 
lieve that they belong to a single country. Travel- 
ling through the Republic one is impressed by the 
multiplicity of views, incongruous and curious, pre- 
sented at different points. In one part there are the 
immense table-lands that tire the eye with their per- 
petual monotony and which appear to exercise a 
corresponding effect upon the inhabitants. At an- 
other point there are wide ranges of mountains, 
whose colossal heights, mantled in eternal snows like 
giants enwrapped in tunics of royal ermine, seem 
to contemplate in a monolithic attitude the passing 
of the centuries, and at the foot of these mountains 
there are immeasurable plains and prairies bris- 

266 



REPUBLIC OF BOLIVIA 267 

tling with life and activity and bathed by large 
rivers and mysterious lakes like the strange Poopo 
and the legendary Titicaca, which retains the poetic 
tradition of the children of the sun. The first time 
I crossed Bolivia from one end to the other I felt 
as though I were passing through a land of dreams. 
In the arid region that overlooks the Pacific I was 
sickened by the dreariness of the panorama which 
unrolled itself in ascending the high plains of the 
Andes, and, like the sailor on the high seas who sees 
nothing but water and sky, I could see nothing in 
that ocean of land but the immense dome overlap- 
ping the colourless prairie which made me yearn for 
the sight of a tree. The barrenness of the pampa, 
its serenity and its impressive silence gave me a 
feeling of sadness. A few days later, however, my 
love of nature 's life was fully satisfied by the scenes 
presented at the other extreme of Bolivia in the 
region of the trees. Of enormous height and count- 
less in number, they formed over my head a green 
dome under which I passed months of pleasure 
amidst their beautiful verdure and perfume. In 
those parts there was none of the depression pro- 
duced by the ambient air of the exasperating and^ 
silent pampa. The trees, the soil, the water and the 
air were bubbling with human life and laboratories 
of energy, and this scene of life and verdure ex- 
tended over a huge distance. At a later period I 
visited other parts of Bolivia, traversing its numer- 



268 THE TWO AMERICAS 

cms rivers, descending its deep valleys and climbing 
its high mountains, but in all parts there was evi- 
dence of the capriciousness of this extraordinary 
land. Everything is opposed to something else in 
Bolivia; the fruitful warm lands to the desolated 
areas, the cold to the heat, the beautiful to the ugly, 
and the height of the colossal mountains to the pro- 
found depth of the valleys, and the same difference 
of character is to be found amongst the native in- 
habitants, as in the formation of the cities. Santa 
Cruz, a tropical city situated barely a few hundred 
metres above sea level, with the heat of the torrid 
zone, surrounded by luxuriant vegetation and peo- 
pled by persons of a marked Spanish type, forms an 
extreme contrast with Oruro, a city of Siberian cli- 
mate, built in the middle of a desert, thousands of 
metres in height and with inhabitants almost en- 
tirely of indigenous type. 

Between these two extremes are the other Bo- 
livian cities possessing elements of similar variety. 
Potosi is on the top of a great hill in the direction 
of the famous silver and tin zone which at one time 
was the surprise of the world. La Paz on the con- 
trary, is in a valley, and, viewed from the edge of 
the highlands, gives the impression of a city car- 
ried by a flood to the bottom of a precipice, causing 
one to wonder why its early founders thought of 
building the most populous city of Bolivia in that 
stupendous cavity. At times, and occasionally in 



REPUBLIC OF BOLIVIA 269 

the same place, there are conglomerations of incon- 
gruous elements and extravagant superpositions. 
The prehistoric age joins with the present, just as 
the gigantic and the imposing elbow the small and 
ordinary. The Tihaguanaco, the humble hut of the 
Indian, is pitched amongst enormous monuments, 
the work of a civilisation that has disappeared. 
Even in its history one sees disproportion and in- 
coherency, whilst the methods by which the country 
attained national existence are equally extraordi- 
nary. The war of Independence preceding this 
achievement was marked by the intense discord rife 
amongst its leaders. Nothing was subordinated to 
a regular or fixed plan of campaign and everyone 
directed his efforts according to his own views. Yet 
the nation was formed and the process of uniting 
into one harmonious whole its many conflicting ele- 
ments is being rapidly and healthily proceeded with. 
The consequences of the disparities in its ethnical 
aspect and the complexity of other conditions have 
naturally stood in the way of the definite formation 
of the nation, but the day is approaching when there 
will be a bond of iron to join the tree with the wilder- 
ness, the mountain ranges with the pampas, and the 
aymara with the guayaro. 

The principal cities of Bolivia are La Paz, Sucre, 
Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Cochabamba and Potosi, 
others being Oruro and Uyuni, which are mining 
centres with small populations, in the desert; La 



270 THE TWO AMERICAS 

Paz, the Capital, is the highest city in the world 
(4,200 metres above sea level), and is built along the 
banks of a torrent on the edge of the western des- 
ert. Its great height generally induces amongst 
travellers a disease known as soroche or puna, which 
causes difficulty in breathing, violent headaches, and 
a derangement of the digestive organs. The In- 
dians withstand the effects of these altitudes with 
the same ease as they resist the cold, and they make 
long marches, bare-footed, to work in the mines. 
There are two lines of railway, from La Paz to the 
Pacific, which pass through sandy mountains and 
deserts, where there are only the poor huts of the 
Indians and flocks of llamas which are used as beasts 
of burden. These animals also give to the Indians 
milk, meat, and wool for their clothing. When they 
become fatigued they lie down on the ground and 
the only way in which the Indians can force them 
to resume their march is by showering them with a 
rapid succession of pebbles until they rise and go 
forward. 

The Indians in this region are governed by a Chief 
whose administrative powers consist of a distribu- 
tion of labour in the lands, the cultivation of the 
crops, and the settlement of native disputes. There 
is also a Justice of the Peace, named by the Govern- 
ment, to deal with matters of larger importance. 
It is thought that these Indians belong to a race 
formed out of a mixture of tribes. By the ruins 



REPUBLIC OF BOLIVIA 271 

which have been found on the banks of Lake Titi- 
caca, it has been discovered that there existed in 
those regions, at a period preceding the Egyptian 
civilisation, an advanced people not among those 
whom the Spaniards found on the conquest of the 
country. The present aymares are more active and 
intelligent than the quibchuas and may be compared 
with the Aztecs of Mexico, who take pride in having 
produced the great Juarez. The Indians of Bolivia 
are quite civilised and preserve their religious rites, 
which are those of semi-Christians, worshipping the 
spirits of nature as represented by the rivers, rocks, 
etc. 

Bolivia has no ports, but the railroad extension 
now proceeding for the purpose of joining up with 
the railroads of Chile, Argentina and Peru will fur- 
nish an outlet for the mineral and other products 
of the Bepublic, which has entered upon a period of 
industrial activity. 



CHAPTER XIX 

THE REPUBLIC OF ECUADOR 

A S is well known the Republic of Ecuador in the 
■**■ epoch of its primitive independence formed a 
part of the extensive Empire bequeathed by the 
Conqueror, Huay-Napac, to his sons Huascar and 
Atahualpa, but the rivalry between these princes led 
to a violent revolution which continued until the 
conquest of the territory by Pizarro, Almagro and 
de Benalcazar. Until 1717 the country was ruled by 
a Viceroy, whose seat of government was in Lima 
and whose jurisdiction extended to the Courts of 
Panama, Caracas, Santa Fe, Quito, Lima, Cuzco, 
Charcas, Santiago and Buenos Aires. 

The initial demand for independence in Spanish 
America was proclaimed by Ecuador, and in 1809 
the revolutionary party named the Marquis of Selva 
Alegre its first President. Ecuador, however, did 
not then enjoy complete independence as it was 
practically a State of the larger Republic of Great 
Colombia in which was also included New Granada 
(now Colombia) and Venezuela, governed by Boli- 
var until 1830. On the death of the Liberator, 
Venezuela and Ecuador seceded from the united 

272 



REPUBLIC OF ECUADOR 273 

Republic, the latter becoming a self-governing Re- 
public under the constitutional presidency of Gen- 
eral Juan Jose Flores. From that date to the pres- 
ent time the Eepublic of Ecuador has had no less 
than eleven different Constitutions. Yet despite the 
troublous times through which the country has 
passed during its relatively brief existence, Ecuador 
is steadily advancing, and in this forward march 
she will be greatly aided by her intellectual and 
robust youth, who, profiting by the sad experiences 
of the past and placing on one side personal and 
political differences, are grouping themselves 
around their parent country to labour in unison for 
its moral and material progress. ' 

The territory of Ecuador, embracing a population 
of less than 3,000,000 inhabitants, is rich in mineral 
resources and produces large quantities of gold, sil- 
ver, lignite, marble, coal and petroleum, while the 
manufacture of hats from the toquilla palm or jipi- 
japa fibre (incorrectly described as Panama hats) 
constitutes an important industry. Ecuador also 
contains a number of sugar estates capable of great 
extension, and other industrial establishments de- 
voted to the production of shoes, cigars, cigarettes 
and textile fabrics, but the lack of railroad commu- 
nication has hitherto been the chief factor in limiting 
the output of these industries. 

Guayaquil, the principal port, is also a city of 
some importance owing to its population, its com- 



274 THE TWO AMERICAS 

mercial movement, and its general up-to-date ap- 
pearance, whilst Quito, the Capital, which is con- 
nected with Guayaquil by a railroad belonging to an 
American company, is distinguished by the artistic 
character of its buildings, its monuments and, above 
all, by the quality of its society, which ranks high 
in Latin America. One of the great difficulties of 
the country is the absence of roads and highways 
for vehicular traffic, there being little else than 
mule-tracks for the transport between one town and 
another; and in some parts of the Republic there 
are merely fords in the smaller streams during the 
dry season, and at others, primitive suspension 
bridges across deep gorges and swift mountain tor- 
rents. These bridges are constructed from a species 
of hard fibre and are exceedingly dangerous to 
cross, rendering it necessary to frequently bring 
into use short river channels along the coast. Rail- 
road construction is, however, proceeding at vari- 
ous points and with its gradual extension and the 
increase of revenue from commercial expansion, re- 
sources will be available for the making of new 
roads and highways for local transport. 

Notwithstanding the fact that the Indians and the 
mestizos form the bulk of the population of Ecua- 
dor, caste sentiment is very pronounced among those 
who claim pure white descent; and, as in Chile, the 
latter are the governing classes. The mestizos, who 
are generally traders and artisans, are uneducated 



REPUBLIC OF ECUADOR 275 

and indolent, possessing similar characteristics to 
those of the civilised Indians, to which type they 
really belong. As in Peru there are still many 
tribes of wild Indians who inhabit the forests and 
stoutly resist all missionary efforts to civilise them 
and oppose administrative measures to subject them 
to obedience to the Law. 

Education is very backward and confined chiefly 
to the better classes, as although primary instruc- 
tion for children of from six to twelve years of age 
is obligatory, there is an insufficient number of pub- 
lic schools, and even at those established the attend- 
ance is irregular and not enforced. A programme 
has been recently laid down for an entire reorgani- 
sation of the educational system and with the assist- 
ance of the authorities of the Universities of Quito, 
Guayaquil and Cuenca, it is hoped that considerable 
improvement will be shown in the future. 

Much of the backwardness of Ecuador in all that 
pertains to modern progress owes its existence to 
the lack of financial resources as much as to the 
want of means of communication, and it is to the 
fact that Ecuador has no credit in the great finan- 
cial centres and is thus unable to effect necessary 
reforms that progressive measures have been re- 
garded with indifference, which may be illustrated 
by the statement that Ecuador, despite the adop- 
tion fifty years ago of the metric system, still ex- 
clusively uses the old Spanish system of weights 



276 THE TWO AMERICAS 

and measures. The extreme poverty of the people 
and the other circumstances here described have 
combined to lessen the encouragement of public 
spirit and of civic ideals, which frequently occurs in 
States whose inhabitants labour under continued de- 
pression, and in others, where the rapid accumula- 
tion of wealth as often results in a forgetfulness on 
the part of the people of their duties and obligations 
as citizens. In the case of Ecuador, however, there 
is a sentiment of ardent patriotism beneath this ap- 
parent apathy, and I have little doubt that more 
than in any other of the Latin Eepublics on the 
Pacific Coast, when the Panama Canal is opened, 
a new era will dawn upon the isolated little Eepublic 
and bring with its material advance corresponding 
improvement in other spheres of national life. The 
country's resources are sufficiently abundant and 
the possibilities presented are great enough to jus- 
tify this belief. It is merely a question of time for 
Ecuador to emerge from her present comparative 
obscurity and to rise to a level of equality, from 
the standpoints of progress and order, with her 
sister Eepublics. 



CHAPTER XX 

THE BEPTJBLIC OF COLOMBIA 

F> OSSESSING a coast extending from one ocean 

■*■ to the other and embracing vast areas of pro- 
ductive soil, the Republic of Colombia presents a 
wide and advantageous field of study for the indus- 
trial and commercial classes of Europe and the 
United States who desire to extend their operations 
to one of the most favored lands of the South Amer- 
ican continent. Despite the fact that during the 
greater part of its existence Colombia has been torn 
by a succession of fratricidal wars and by violent 
political dissensions, the few recent years of peace 
it has enjoyed have demonstrated, beyond all ques- 
tion, the great potential wealth of the national re- 
sources and an assured future of progress and pros- 
perity when the conditions of internal peace, already 
established, become more firmly implanted, as un- 
doubtedly will happen. 

The exceptional situation in which Colombia is 
placed by having important centres of industry and 
commerce, as well as ports, both on her Atlantic and 
Pacific coasts is in itself a sufficient encouragement 
for an optimistic view of her future, without regard 

277 



278 THE TWO AMERICAS 

to the many other favourable conditions of the coun- 
try. On the Atlantic side there are several flourish- 
ing cities such as Baranquilla, Cartagena and Santa 
Marta, where there are already many large fac- 
tories, while in the extensive areas surrounding 
these cities, there is considerable activity in the cul- 
tivation of rubber, cocoa, coffee, sugar cane, ba- 
nanas, and other tropical products. The banana in- 
dustry is rapidly expanding as I believed it would 
when, during my administration, I initiated confer- 
ences for the encouragement of that branch of cul- 
tivation. Further in the interior of the same coast, 
in the direction of the mountain peaks, where the 
changes of climate and soil lend themselves to the 
satisfactory growth of the fruits of the temperate 
zone, production is steadily increasing. The forma- 
tion throughout this part of the country is the most 
uneven and least uniform on the continent, and this 
probably accounts for the climatic differences in the 
diverse valleys and elevations which produce an 
abundance in one section of those products which 
are scarce in the other. The greater part of this 
region is bathed by innumerable rivers and streams 
in whose waters there is a large variety of fish, and 
in whose sands there are rich mineral deposits 
merely awaiting the capital and labour necessary 
for their profitable exploitation. 

On the Pacific side Colombia has several ports, the 
most important being those of Buenaventura and 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 279 

Tumaco, in which for many years past the commerce 
of the Department of Canca and a part of the in- 
terior of the Bepublic has been concentrated. The 
port of Buenaventura, located at a distance of only 
a few hours' journey from the Panama Canal, is 
protected from the constant winds by two arms of 
land projecting towards the ocean and has delight- 
ful surroundings. Everywhere one sees the fasci- 
nating tropical vegetation spreading out towards 
the waves. On the horizon, to the south, one sees 
the blue profiles of the western Cordilleras; to 
the north, the extensive plantations of man- 
grove trees, and further inland the peaks and 
the valleys of the rich and fertile land of 
Choco, renowned for its many mines of gold, 
platinum and other minerals. With the open- 
ing of the Canal, ships from Europe and the United 
States will be able to make direct communication 
with this port as well as with Tumaco, thus avoiding 
the trans-shipment of merchandise at Colon to the 
railway and thence to Panama to another steamer, 
which operation at the present time is a barrier to 
any considerable extension of commerce. Prom 
Buenaventura there is a railroad to the interior 
which will shortly be extended to the city of Cali, 
one of the most flourishing in Colombia by reason of 
its situation and of the industry of its inhabitants 
who make a religion of work. Cali is at the foot 
of the western cordillera in the beautiful Valle del 



280 THE TWO AMERICAS 

Cauca, which Humboldt has described as the ' ' Para- 
dise of America." A great hill called ''Los Faral- 
lones" towers over the city, and from this, which 
serves to refresh the valley with its cool breezes, 
there is a view of an immense and magnificent pan- 
orama. Through the centre of the valley there runs 
the Cauca River, on whose banks there is an abun- 
dance of vegetable products and of the natural 
grasses that give food to a great number of cattle 
and horses. Fields and woods with spring-like ver- 
dure surround the small villages with their ancient 
buildings and the chapel or parochial church in the 
centre, and herds of cattle and troops of horses are 
dotted over the green mantle which extends in every 
direction. On the river there is an unceasing move- 
ment of steamships laden with plantains and other 
products of this land of promise. Here also are to 
be seen boats of a more primitive character packed 
to their fullest capacity with fruits, above which 
are the farmers and their families wearing their 
large hats and carrying long poles which they use 
as oars, moving gracefully under the shade afforded 
by the cachimbos and the bamboo-canes. 

This valley is located at a distance of about one 
day's journey by steamer from Panama and is 
bounded on its eastern and western sides by dif- 
ferent ranges of the Andes. Its area is 400 kilo- 
metres in length and 25 in breadth. The tempera- 
ture varies from 18 to 20 degrees centigrade, in 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 281 

the plains and from 43 to 16 degrees in the moun- 
tains, thus permitting cultivation in the same range 
of cocoa, sugar cane, wheat and barley. In this 
valley there is a population of more than 200,000, 
with growing cities of from 10,000 to 30,000 inhab- 
itants, such as Popayan, the cradle of many of Co- 
lombia's notable men, amongst whom may be men- 
tioned Mosqueira and Figueroa, who was Regent of 
Spain. The latter city is even to-day the social, 
educational and intellectual centre of the tropical 
coasts of the Pacific ocean of the two Americas. 
The city of Cali, which is beautifully laid out, is 
capable of accommodating a million inhabitants, and 
there are also Manizales, populated by the laborious 
Antioquinians, Buga, Pamira, Cartago, and other 
cities and surrounding lands, beautified by di- 
verse and everlasting plants, an imposing variety 
of orchids, cacao and coffee plantations, shaded by 
trees which blossom with flowers of all hues, and 
multi-coloured birds flying over the crystal waters 
of the rivers, which appear like sheets of silver. 

When the railway is completed from Buenaven- 
tura to Cali it will be extended towards the south 
through Popayan to Pasto and will serve many vil- 
lages which in time will become large centres of 
production. Popayan is one of the most interesting 
cities of Colombia and has a climate of perpetual 
spring. It is situated in the valley of the Cauca 
between the western and the central cordillera. A 



282 THE TWO AMERICAS 

great volcano in constant eruption, called Purace, 
raises itself towards the west and is covered with 
snow during the greater part of the year. The 
outskirts of the city are favorite resorts of holiday- 
makers who make ascents to the crater and wander 
through the green fields and the picturesque planta- 
tions or pass their time on the beautiful river and 
its banks, and, after picnicking under the shades of 
the majestic oak trees with which the district 
abounds, they return to the city playing their 
guitars on the road and singing the songs of the 
popular national poets and musicians, with true 
Spanish instinct and spirit. The city of Pasto is 
another flourishing centre which embraces various 
manufacturing and mining industries. It is a short 
distance from Tumaco and Barbacoas, where min- 
ing, notwithstanding the difficulties of transport and 
the primitive character of the machinery in use, 
is being profitably carried on. Thus it will be seen 
that almost throughout this beautiful valley, where 
on the same plantations there are the products of 
the extreme climates, there are also enormous possi- 
bilities for agricultural, mining and other industrial 
production. 

Since the discovery of America Colombia has 
been known to possess great wealth in its gold mines. 
The value of the precious metal extracted during the 
colonial period amounted to hundreds of millions 
of dollars. Since the liberation of the slaves, who 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 283 

were employed in exploiting these mines, the produc- 
tion has diminished, but this affords the greater 
reason for assuming that by improved means of 
communication and the introduction of modern ma- 
chinery the territories of Choco and Porce, the 
mountains of Antioquia, the mines of Marmato and 
Rio Sucio, those of Alta, Baja, and Vetas, in the De- 
partment of Santander, those of the Department of 
Narino, and the alluvial diggings of Barbacoas con- 
tain all the elements to make Colombia a future rival 
of the most prolific of the gold-producing countries 
known to modern times. 

In reference to the mineral wealth contained in 
Colombian territory I consider it important to make 
known the views of Mr. Thomas A. Edison upon that 
subject, as expressed to me in a recent conversation 
which I had with that distinguished scientist. Mr. 
Edison said: 

"Your country, Colombia, is one of the richest and 
best situated in South America, not only by reason 
of its extensive and wealth-laden littorals on the two 
oceans and on both sides of the Panama Canal, but 
also by its possession of vast quantities of minerals, 
including platinum and gold, particularly in the 
district of Choco where these metals are so plenti- 
ful, as I have had occasion to discover through con- 
stantly needing their use and having sent agents 
to those parts to search for them. It is true that the 



284 THE TWO AMERICAS 

mountains which rise in the interior of the country- 
present serious obstacles to the construction of rail- 
roads but inasmuch as their altitude and climate are 
suitable for the cultivation of the products of both 
the temperate and torrid zones and that they con- 
tain rich mineral deposits there is no doubt that 
capital will soon be available for the construction of 
railways over short distances, as has taken place in 
Bolivia. I have been occupied for years in perfect- 
ing the construction of a special locomotive to over- 
come the difficulties of a five per cent, gradient, 
which I think might be successfully used in Colom- 
bia as it has been in other countries of similar for- 
mation, where trains are economically run by elec- 
tric power from the waterfalls of the mountains. 
"When those methods of exploiting the mountainous 
and auriferous areas of Colombia are put into opera- 
tion there is no doubt it will only be a matter of 
time for the mining industry of that country to 
attain proportions of great importance." 

Of the Departments into which Colombia is at 
present divided, these being subdivided into Prov- 
inces and again into Municipalities, the Department 
of Antioquia is probably the most prosperous. The 
people of this section of the country have the char- 
acteristics of the natives of Extremadura and Anda- 
lusia, in Spain, in appearance as well as in their 
physical conditions. With rose-white complexions 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 285 

and of robust health their energies are devoted pref- 
erentially to mining. Under the vigourous strokes 
of their axes the mountains have been levelled for 
the formation of villages and cities, where they have 
developed the mining industry of this Department 
and have thus brought large capital to the country. 
The Capital of Antioquia is Medellin, the second city 
of the Eepublic, whose inhabitants are more ad- 
vanced and up-to-date in their methods than those 
of any other part of the country. 

Bogota, the Capital City of the Republic, has a 
population of 120,000 inhabitants and is situated at 
an altitude of 2,400 metres above sea level. The 
climate is equable and delightful, the temperature 
being always 16 degrees centigrade, which makes it 
one of the most habitable cities of South America. 
Its modern buildings would be worthy of any great 
Capital, the Colon Theatre, especially, being one of 
the handsomest of all the known temples of dramatic 
art. The society of Bogota, despite the introduction 
of modern customs, preserves in general the guiding 
principles of the Spanish home-veneration of the 
woman and warm unaffected hospitality to the 
stranger. 

In speaking of the women of Colombia, who in 
common with their sisters of all the Ibero- American 
countries are models of purity and virtue, I cannot 
refrain from reciting the substance of an interview 



286 THE TWO AMERICAS 

I was privileged to have with Cardinal Farley on 
my last visit to New York. 

' 'I know," said the Cardinal, "that the Colombian 
women are pious and are devoted to the organisa- 
tion of the family and to the practice of the highest 
domestic virtues. I am, therefore, anxious to learn 
whether the law of divorce exists in your country." 
"In my country," I replied, "the law of divorce 
does not and never will exist, owing to its repug- 
nance to our idea of national decorum and to our 
faith in the fidelity and pious qualities of our wom- 
en, who, as mothers, wives, sisters and daughters, 
are not only the sovereigns of the home but educate 
the man from his cradle to his maturity, and even 
when he marries this moral education is continued 
by his wife and at her death by her daughters. In 
this way they exercise greater influence in the family 
circle and in society than they could possibly have 
where true femininity is sacrificed to unhealthy con- 
ditions. Divorce indeed is so opposed to the delicate 
ideals of our women that the remarriage of a widow, 
especially if she has children, is of rare occurrence, 
their guiding principle being that they should con- 
stantly watch over their offspring, fulfilling the du- 
ties of both mother and father. The influence of our 
wives and mothers in this respect is such that in 
the majority of cases in which a man with a family 
of children has lost his wife he follows the example 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 287 

of the woman and does not marry again. Our idea 
is to cultivate and strengthen these conditions of the 
home life which we have inherited from our father- 
land, and, in the greater number of Latin- American 
countries, it is my experience that, as in Spain, the 
sacred ties of home and family are built upon these 
principles. ' ' 

"It gives me great pleasure," said the Cardinal, 
"to know that in young America the modern ideas 
of materialism which destroy the virtue of the 
Christian home and render the woman morally in- 
ferior have not yet become implanted. Such ideas 
lower women from the elevated pedestal of sover- 
eignty over the home and lead to a barbaric condi- 
tion of affairs. It is a source of deep gratification 
to me to know of the satisfactory conditions prevail- 
ing amongst Spanish and Ibero-American families 
who educate their women with such principles in 
order that they may use their independence and 
their influence in the direction of preserving 
pure family life and the best interests of soci- 
ety, because it is evident that woman, by her 
traditions, her delicate sentiments, superior to those 
of man in honesty, piety and self-abnegation, have 
more social influence and are thus able to correct 
many vices including that of polygamy, which, al- 
though not permitted by law, would probably be se- 
cretly practised by men. Of Colombian women in 
general I have little direct knowledge, but one of 



288 THE TWO AMERICAS 

the most gratifying incidents of my life was a benev- 
olent act performed by a pious Catholic lady of your 
own race, Senorita Barril, of the family of Osma and 
Casa Valencia, of Peru and Colombia. I informed 
this lady of the generous offer of Mr. Archer Hunt- 
ington to provide the land for the site of the pro- 
posed Spanish Church and Museum on the heights 
commanding the Hudson River, as well as to con- 
tribute, dollar for dollar, for all the money required 
for the building that I might collect from my congre- 
gation. I informed her of the fact that I found my- 
self unable to collect from my parishioners even a 
respectable proportion of the sum required for the 
temple, and sought her help to enable the worthy 
project to be carried out. To this request she read- 
ily consented and in a very short time succeeded in 
obtaining large contributions from both Catholics 
and Protestants, with the result that the total sum 
collected by Senorita Barril considerably exceeded 
the amount involved in Mr. Huntington's generous 
offer. That gentleman subsequently gave me a 
cheque for an equal amount, and the Chapel, which 
was erected with these funds, is now adorned by 
precious gifts of lamps and other ornaments by His 
Majesty, King Alfonso of Spain, and the Infanta 
Dona Isabela." 

In addition to the possessions already described 
Colombia has immense territories in that section of 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 289 

the Amazonic regions adjacent to Peru, Ecuador, 
Venezuela and Brazil. The large forests of the 
Amazon Eiver and the Putumayo are for the most 
part unexplored, and looking at their vast extent 
and the sparsity of the villages and colonies already 
established there for industrial purposes, they are 
still solitary tracts ready to yield fruitful results to 
the hand of the labourer. There is in these forests 
luxuriant vegetation on fertile land which has borne 
fruit for hundreds of years without its ever having 
been gathered in, and it is a fact that even in those 
distant territories there is hardly an acre of ground 
that cannot be sown and converted into a profitable 
field for human energy. At the present time Colom- 
bia has 5,000,000 inhabitants and an area sufficiently 
large and amply productive to provide for ten times 
that number. Towards the Venezuelan side there 
are extensive plains watered by numerous rivers 
that are especially adapted to the raising of cattle. 
In other Departments, as in those of Tolima, Cauca, 
Santander, Antioquia, Cundiamarca, etc., the pro- 
duction of coffee, cacao and sugar cane is always in- 
creasing, while the two commodities first named se- 
cure the highest prices in foreign markets. Its for- 
ests contain uncountable varieties of fine woods and 
medicinal plants, the beds of its rivers (all stocked 
with an abundance of fish) are rich in mineral de- 
posits, and amongst its other potential wealth of 
resources are the emerald mines which contain the 



290 THE TWO AMERICAS 

very finest quality of that precious gem. With an 
intimate knowledge of these and the many other fa- 
vourable conditions of the country, I am able to say, 
with confidence, that the Republic of Colombia is a 
splendid channel for the investment of foreign cap- 
ital and for immigration. 

The results of the measures which I found it nec- 
essary to adopt for the pacification of the country 
when, after it had undergone a three years' fratri- 
cidal war, I assumed the Chief Magistracy of the 
Republic, give encouragement to the belief that the 
era of internecine strife and revolutionary out- 
breaks has passed for all time. Those measures, 
dictated at a time when the country was devastated 
by the terrible struggle which had just ended, when 
progress had been arrested, and the contending fac- 
tors not even then reconciled, have created good out 
of evil. Amongst my first administrative acts were 
to cause the people to be disarmed and their 
weapons returned to the arsenals ; to see that justice 
was meted out to all citizens alike and the right of 
every man to honourably serve his country fully 
established; and to so reorganise the army as to 
prevent future serious insubordination or active po- 
litical partisanship within its ranks, thus definitely 
placing it on a basis which would make it a bulwark 
of national honour and respect instead of a force 
to be exerted for the satisfaction of individual or 
political ambitions. From that time forward, with 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 291 

the exception of one notable interruption, due en- 
tirely to extraneous influences, the country has en- 
joyed the blessings of peace, and the energies of its 
citizens have been devoted exclusively to the objects 
of moral and material progress. The rancors and 
the bitterness of former times have vanished and a 
united effort is now being directed to the assurance 
of the country's prosperous future which is largely 
assisted by the extension of railways towards the 
coasts and by the great work which will shortly 
bring the Bepublic nearer to Europe and the United 
States. With the approaching realisation of these 
prospects and the application of foreign enterprise 
to the development of the national resources it is in- 
dubitable that this great country, to use the words 
of Paul Kruger though in a more peaceful sense, 
will "stagger humanity." This view is based as 
much on the moral conditions of the Colombian peo- 
ple as on the material prospects of the country. In 
this connection Dr. Phanor Eder, in his instructive 
book entitled "Colombia," has made an admirable 
analysis of the situation. He says : 

"I must correct a misconception that the reader 
may possibly have formed, or been confirmed in, by 
my use just now of the term 'chronic instability.' 
Colombia has never in all its history for a long 
period of time been in such a condition as that 
which has devastated some other Spanish- American 



292 THE TWO AMERICAS 

countries ; there has been, however, chronic fear of 
revolution with all its paralysis. There is much 
misconception as to the number of real revolutions 
in its history; only twice has the 'legitimate' suc- 
cession to the Presidency been upset — a record un- 
equalled by any other Spanish- American country 
with the single exception of Chile. In other words, 
successful revolutions have been rare: the estab- 
lished Government has nearly always succeeded 
either in suppressing armed revolt or in securing 
a working compromise. But this past tendency to 
revolution is worthy of study. The subject cannot 
be dismissed with the contemptuous generalities that 
the average Englishman or American is apt to be- 
stow. There has been no one cause for revolution- 
ism ; no general f ormulse, sometimes put forward, as 
to inherent lawlessness, incompatibility of races, un- 
fitness for self-government fostered by the Spanish 
colonial system, etc., that will fit the case. Inherent 
lawlessness we have shown at the beginning of this 
chapter to be false — racial antagonisms have played 
but a very small part ; the unripeness for self-gov- 
ernment at the birth of the nation has been a con- 
tributary cause, but the true causes have been mani- 
fold. . . . By reason of lack of education for 
the masses, and for the classes a misdirected 
education — unpractical and often superficial — there 
has not been learned perseverance and patience to 
correct through orderly processes of government. 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 293 

Add sectional feeling, the religionism inherited from 
Spain — undissolved because of lack of facile inter- 
communication — and the pot is ready to boil. 

"The cure, therefore, for revolutionism is obvi- 
ous; material prosperity and education. It is now 
at work. With foreign capital and foreign immigra- 
tion material prosperity will come speedily : without 
them or either of them the day of salvation will be 
delayed. Immigration is needed, not so much be- 
cause there is any real scarcity in the ranks of la- 
bour, but for education : foreign workers, especially 
if simpatico, can better teach the Colombians, who 
are ready pupils, to be workers. Improved sanitary 
conditions will come with the expenditure of money 
and with the consequent abolition of malaria, anae- 
mia, many misnamed cases of laziness will disap- 
pear. Wealth and education hand in hand will lead 
Colombia from the brink of the chasm to the high- 
road of peace and order." 

The population of Colombia, though depleted by 
the losses of life in the many civil wars which have 
marked the country's past history and checked in 
its increase by the absence of immigration, is still 
estimated by reliable authorities at about 5,000,000, 
as already stated. Amongst these there is a fair 
percentage of whites, descended from the early 
Spanish settlers, the remainder of the inhabitants 
being made up of mestizos (a mixture of whites 



294 THE TWO AMERICAS 

and Indians), Indians and negroes. Of those who 
first inhabited the country there remain only a few 
scattered tribes in the forests, practising their an- 
cient customs with a persistent refusal to conform 
to the requirements of modern society, but there 
are many civilised Indian communities who yield to 
the demands of the social organisation of the coun- 
try. Amongst the white element there is a small 
proportion of foreigners engaged in commercial and 
industrial pursuits, the native whites forming the 
governing and the professional classes. They are 
an intelligent, high spirited people with the Spanish- 
American love of art and literature to which they 
devote considerable study, and in the world of let- 
ters many Colombian writers hold high rank. The 
national religion is Eoman Catholic and the Church 
which was disestablished by the Constitution of 1861 
was restored, twenty-five years later, to the position 
of a State institution. Education was extremely 
backward until my accession to the Presidency when 
I initiated a complete reorganisation of the system 
of public instruction, adding normal schools for the 
training of teachers, and agricultural and technical 
schools for the better development of the country's 
material resources. Since the partial carrying out 
of my project for the extension of public instruction 
there has been a considerable reduction in the num- 
ber of illiterates. This advance, however, is but the 
beginning of the spread of education which will fol- 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 295 

low the general progress of the Republic that will 
enable the incoming Administration and its succes- 
sors to appropriate a goodly proportion of national 
revenue to this worthy object. 

My recent trip through the Isthmus has intensi- 
fied my admiration for the American nation, which 
has accomplished so much for the causes of civilisa- 
tion and progress, and especially in its building of 
the great Canal which will transform the face of 
the earth and produce greater changes of impor- 
tance in routes of travel than has ever been accom- 
plished by any other work of a similar character. 
Yet, whilst the world at large has eulogised this 
great American achievement there have been uni- 
versal expressions of regret that its moral value 
should be lessened by doubts of the character of the 
methods whereby it was enabled to be carried into 
operation. It is therefore sincerely hoped by all 
friends of the United States that when, in 1915, 
there will be celebrated the opening of the Inter- 
national Exposition to commemorate the union of 
the two oceans, justice will have been rendered to 
Colombia so that the Exposition will not be an 
apotheosis of the triumph of might over right. 

The importance of the Panama Canal to the Re- 
public of Colombia cannot be exaggerated or too 
frequently pointed out at the present time. The 
completion of that gigantic work will bring to her 
rich and extensive territories myriads of workers 



296 THE TWO AMERICAS 

from the congested countries of Europe; the trees 
of the forests will be felled to make way for the 
locomotive; the rivers will give up their latent 
wealth and the treasure embedded in the virgin soil 
will become available to the pick of the miner. There 
will finally disappear, as though by enchantment, 
the old political bitterness and hatred; and there 
will be but one nation-wide policy — that of Father- 
land and work. The few obstinate patriots, still 
irreconcilable, will unite in fraternal embrace with 
their fellow citizens in the task of national recon- 
struction; and the rainbow of peace, which for the 
past thirteen years has shone in the Colombian sky, 
will shine still brighter, as a tribute to the patriotic 
instincts of the worthy sons of a great country. 

The name of the hero, Simon Bolivar, is so indis- 
solubly bound up with the foundation and early 
history of the Republic of Colombia as to render 
incomplete any description of the country which 
does not embrace some account of that great man. 
In the preceding and other chapters of this book 
I have merely made passing references to Bolivar's 
noble character and great achievements, for the rea- 
son that his share in the emancipation of South 
America is already a matter of common historic 
record. In order, however, to show that in addi- 
tion to being a strict disciplinarian and a statesman 
of great breadth of view, he was a pious, simple 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 297 

man, inspired by love of family and of God, I append 
a translation of his last will and testament, which, 
so far as I am aware, has not yet been published in 
the English language : 

BOLIVAR'S WILL 

"In the name of the Almighty God, Amen, I, 
Simon Bolivar, Liberator of the Republic of Colom- 
bia, born in the city of Caracas, in the Department 
of Venezuela, legitimate son of Juan Vicente Bolivar 
and Maria Concepcion Palacios, deceased, of the 
same city, being gravely ill but in the full posses- 
sion of memory and understanding and believing 
and confessing with firm faith in the high and sover- 
eign mystery of the Beautiful and Holy Trinity of 
the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, three distinct per- 
sons, but one true God, under which faith I have 
lived and declared my intention to live as an earnest 
Catholic Christian until my death, I now make my 
testamentary disposition and, under Divine invoca- 
tion authorise and order my will in the following 
form : 

' ' 1. Firstly, I commend my soul to Almighty God 
and my body to the earth of which it was formed, 
leaving to the disposition of my testamentary execu- 
tors the arrangements of my interment and the pay- 
ment of other pious objects which they may consider 
necessary or may be ordained by the Government. 



298 THE TWO AMERICAS 



1 1< 



2. I declare that I was legally married to the 
Senora Teresa Toro, deceased, and that there are 
no children of the marriage. 

"3. I declare that when we contracted the mar- 
riage my deceased wife had no means or effects and 
that I introduced for our mutual benefit the whole 
of my patrimony. 

"4. I declare that I do not possess other prop- 
erty than the lands and mines of Aroa, situated in 
the Province of Carabobo, and certain jewels set 
forth in an inventory which will be found amongst 
my papers in the possession of Senor Juan de Fran- 
cisco Martin, a resident of Cartagena. 

"5. I declare that my only money indebtedness 
is a certain number of dollars due to the said Juan 
de Francisco Martin and to Powles & Company. I 
therefore authorise and instruct my testamentary 
executors to recognise such indebtedness and to sat- 
isfy it from the proceeds of my estate. 

"6. It is my wish that the medal presented to me 
by the Congress of Bolivia, in the name of the peo- 
ple of that country, shall be returned in the same 
spirit in which it was given as a proof of the true 
affection which I preserve, even in my last moments, 
for that Eepublic. 

"7. It is my wish that the two works presented 
to me by my friend, General Wilson, "The Social 
Contract," by Rousseau, and "The Military Art," 
by Monte-Cuculi, both of which were formerly part 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 299 

of the Library of Napoleon, be presented after my 
death to the University of Caracas. 

"8. It is my wish that out of my estate 8,000 
pesos shall be given to my steward, Jose Palacios, 
as a remuneration for his faithful service. 

"9. I order that all my papers in the possession 
of Senor Cavageau shall be burned. 

"10. It is my wish that after my death my re- 
mains shall be deposited in my birthplace, the city 
of Caracas. 

"11. It is a request to my executors that the 
sword presented to me by the Grand Marshal de 
Ayacucho shall be returned to his widow, in order 
that she may retain it as a proof of the affection in 
which I have always held the deceased Grand Mar- 
shal. 

"12. It is a request to my executors that they 
should reiterate my grateful thanks to General Eo- 
berto Wilson for the admirable conduct of his son, 
Colonel Belford Wilson, who so faithfully accom- 
panied and supported me until the last moments of 
my life. 

1 ' 13. For the fulfilment of the provisions of this, 
my last will and testament, I name as my testamen- 
tary executors General Pedro Briceno Mendez, Juan 
de Francisco Martin, Dr. Jose Vargas and General 
Laurencio Silva, upon whom I confer full license 
and authority to dispose of my effects in such man- 



300 THE TWO AMERICAS 

ner as to them may appear necessary, and I further 
extend their period of the fatal year of executor- 
ship for such further time as may be required 
for the general and free administration of my 
estate. 

1 ' 14. The provisions of this, my last will and tes- 
tament, being fulfilled and all just claims being sat- 
isfied, I name as my sole heirs and legatees to my 
residuary estate and to all future successions to 
which I shall have succeeded or may succeed, my 
sisters, Maria Antonia and Juana Bolivar, and the 
three children of my deceased brother, Juan Vicente 
Bolivar, Juan, Felicia and Fernando Bolivar, with 
instructions that my residuary estate be divided into 
three parts, two of which are devised to my before- 
mentioned two sisters, and the other part to the be- 
fore-mentioned children of my brother Juan Vicente, 
that with the blessings of God they may use and en- 
joy such legacies. 

"I revoke, annul and declare of no effect any 
other will, testament, codicil, memorandum, or 
spoken words, made or delivered prior to this, my 
last will and testament, which I declare to embody 
my final wishes and testamentary dispositions. 

"Made, executed and witnessed, by General Mari- 
ano Montilla, General Jose Maria Carreno, Colonel 
Belford Hinton Wilson, Colonel Jose de la Cruz 
Paredes, Colonel Joaquin de Mier, Commandant 



REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA 301 

Juan Glen, and Dr. Manuel Perez de Recuero, at the 
Hacienda of San Pedro Alejandrino, in the limits 
of the city of Santa Marta, the tenth day of Decem- 
ber, 1830." 
Before me, Jose Catalino Noguera, Notary Public. 

SIMON BOLIVAR. 



CHAPTER XXI 

CONCLUSION 

T T is a fitting conclusion to this humble effort on 
■* my part to strengthen the friendly relations of 
all the countries on the American continent, that I 
should avail myself of the opportunity to deal with 
the important declarations made by President Wil- 
son and ex-President Roosevelt, since the preced- 
ing pages were written. It is with the keenest satis- 
faction and, I hope, with becoming modesty, that I 
claim, at the hands of those two distinguished men, a 
complete justification of the purpose of this book 
and of the views it embodies. If, in my criticisms 
of the international policy of the United States in 
regard to the Latin Republics, the terms employed 
have been somewhat vigourous their general tenor 
will find full endorsement in the pronouncements of 
the two great American citizens whose authoritative 
statements will elicit unqualified approval through- 
out Ibero-America. I refer to the address delivered 
by President Wilson before the Southern Commer- 
cial Congress at Mobile, Alabama, on October 27th 
last, and to the lecture given by Colonel Roosevelt 
at the University of Rio de Janeiro a few days 
previously. 

302 



CONCLUSION 308 

In my introductory comments I made special men- 
tion of the fact that the horrors of civil war were 
still afflicting one of the important States of Latin- 
America; but "out of evil cometh good" as, if the 
unhappy conditions arising out of that revolution 
had not become so intensified and so fraught with 
serious consequences to the whole continent, the 
declaration of the high-minded policy and attitude 
of the present Administration of the United States 
towards Latin- America, which will go far to remove 
the unfortunate mutual misunderstandings still pre- 
vailing, might have been postponed to a period when 
its power for good would be considerably lessened, 
if not altogether lost. 

Eliminating the preliminary references of purely 
local interest the following is a report of President 
Wilson's address at Mobile, as published by the 
New York Times, of October 28th : 

"I come because I want to speak of our present 
and prospective relations with our neighbours to 
the south. I deemed it a public duty as well as a 
personal pleasure to be here to express for myself 
and for the Government I represent the welcome we 
all feel to those who represent the Latin-American 
States. The future, ladies and gentlemen, is going 
to be very different for this hemisphere from the 
past. The States lying to the south of us, which 
have always been our neighbours, will now be drawn 



304 THE TWO AMERICAS 

closer to us by innumerable ties, and, I hope, chief 
of all by the tie of a common understanding of each 
other. 

"Interest does not tie nations together. It some- 
times separates them, but sympathy and understand- 
ing do unite them. And I believe that by the new 
route that is just about to be opened, while we 
physically cut two continents asunder, we spiritually 
unite them. It is a spiritual union which we seek. 
I wonder if you realise, I wonder if your imagina- 
tions have been filled with the significance of the 
tides of commerce 1 

"These great tides which have been running along 
parallels of latitude will now swing southward 
athwart parallels of latitude, and that opening gate 
at the Isthmus of Panama will open the world to a 
commerce that she has not known before — a com- 
merce of intelligence, of thought and sympathy be- 
tween north and south, and the Latin-American 
States which to their disadvantage have been off the 
main lines will now be on the main lines. I feel 
that these gentlemen honouring us with their pres- 
ence to-day will presently find that some part at any 
rate of the centre of gravity of the world has shifted. 
Do you realise that New York, for example, will be 
nearer the western coast of South America than she 
is now to the eastern coast of South America? 

1 * There is one peculiarity about the history of the 
Latin-American States which I am sure they are 



CONCLUSION 305 

keenly aware of. You hear of concessions to foreign 
capitalists in Latin America. You do not hear of 
concessions to foreign capitalists in the United 
States. They are not granted concessions. They 
are invited to make investments. The work is ours, 
though they are welcome to invest in it. We do not 
ask them to supply the capital and do the work. 
It is an invitation, not a privilege, and States that 
are obliged, because their territory does not lie with- 
in the main field of modern enterprise and action, 
to grant concessions, are in this condition, that for- 
eign interests are apt to dominate their domestic 
affairs, a condition of affairs always dangerous and 
apt to become intolerable. 

"What these States are going to seek, therefore, 
is an emancipation from the subordination which has 
been inevitable to foreign enterprise and an asser- 
tion of the splendid character which, in spite of these 
difficulties, they have again and again been able to 
demonstrate. The dignity, the courage, the self-pos- 
session, the respect of the Latin-American States, 
their achievements in the face of all these adverse 
circumstances, deserve nothing but the admiration 
and applause of the world. They have had harder 
bargains driven with them in the matter of loans 
than any other peoples in the world. Interest has 
been exacted of them that was not exacted of any- 
body else, because the risk was said to be greater, 
and then securities were taken that destroyed the 



306 THE TWO AMERICAS 

risks. An admirable arrangement for those who 
were forcing the terms! I rejoice in nothing so 
much as in the prospect that they will now be eman- 
cipated from these conditions, and we ought to be 
the first to take part in assisting in that emancipa- 
tion. I think some of these gentlemen have already 
had occasion to bear witness that the Department of 
State in recent months has tried to serve them in 
that wise. In the future they will draw closer and 
closer to us because of circumstances of which I wish 
to speak with moderation and, I hope, without indis- 
cretion. 

"We must prove ourselves their friends and cham- 
pions, upon terms of equality and honour. You 
cannot be friends upon any other terms than upon 
the terms of equality. You cannot be friends at 
all except upon the terms of honour, and we must 
show ourselves friends by comprehending their in- 
terest, whether it squares with our interest or not. 
It is a very perilous thing to determine the foreign 
policy of a nation in the terms of material interest. 
It not only is unfair to those with whom you are 
dealing, but it is degrading on the part of your own 
actions. 

"Comprehension must be the soil in which shall 
grow all the fruits of friendship, because there is a 
reason and a compulsion lying behind all this which 
are dearer than anything else to the thoughtful men 
of America; I mean the development of constitu- 



CONCLUSION 307 

tional liberty in the world. Human rights, national 
integrity, and opportunity, as against material in- 
terests — that, ladies and gentlemen, is the issue 
which we now have to face. I want to take this occa- 
sion to say that the United States will never again 
seek one additional foot of territory by conquest. 
She will devote herself to showing that she knows 
how to make honourable and fruitful use of the ter- 
ritory she has. And she must regard it as one of 
the duties of friendship to see that from no quarter 
are material interests made superior to human lib- 
erty and national opportunity. I say this, not with 
a single thought that any one will gainsay it, but 
merely to fix in our consciousness what our real rela- 
tionship with the rest of America is. It is the rela- 
tionship of a family of mankind devoted to the de- 
velopment of true constitutional liberty. We know 
that that is the soil out of which the best enterprise 
springs. "We know that this is a cause which we are 
making in common with them because we have had 
to make it for ourselves. 

1 1 Reference has been made here to-day to some of 
the national problems which confront us as a nation. 
What is the heart of all our national problems! It 
is that we have seen the hand of material interests 
sometimes about to close upon our dearest interests 
and possessions. We have seen material interests 
threaten constitutional freedom in America. There- 
fore, we will now know how to sympathise with those 



308 THE TWO AMERICAS 

in America who have to contend with that, not only 
within their borders, but from outside their borders 
also. I know what the response of the thought and 
heart of America will be to a programme like that, 
because America was created to realise a pro- 
gramme like that. 

"This is not America because it is rich. This is 
not America because it has set up for a great popu- 
lation great opportunities of material prosperity. 
America is a name which sounds in the ears of man 
everywhere as a synonym of individual opportunity, 
as a synonym of individual liberty. I would rather 
belong to a poor nation that was free than to a rich 
nation that had ceased to be in love with liberty. 
But we shall not be poor if we love liberty, because 
the nation that loves liberty truly sets every man 
free to do his best and be his best; and that means 
the release of all the splendid energies of a great 
people who think for themselves. A nation of em- 
ployees cannot be free any more than a nation of 
employers can be. 

"So, in emphasising the points which must unite 
us in sympathy and in spiritual interest with the 
Latin- American people, we are only emphasising the 
points of our own life, and we should prove our- 
selves untrue to our own traditions if we proved 
ourselves untrue friends to-day. Do not think, 
therefore, gentlemen, that questions of the day are 
mere questions of policy and diplomacy. They are 



CONCLUSION 309 

shot through with the principles of life. We dare 
not turn from the principle that morality and 
not expediency is the thing that must guide us, and 
that we will never condone iniquity because it is most 
convenient to do so. 

"So, it seems to me that this is a day of infinite 
hope, of confidence in a future greater than the 
past has been. For I am fain to believe that, in 
spite of all the things that we wish to correct, the 
nineteenth century that now lies behind us has 
brought us a long stage toward the time when, 
slowly ascending the tedious climb that leads to the 
final uplands, upon which we shall get the ultimate 
view of the beauties of mankind, we, nevertheless, 
have breathed a considerable part of that climb, and 
shall presently — it may be in a generation or two — 
come out upon those great heights where there 
shines, unobstructed, the light of the justice of 
God." 

In the noble words quoted above President Wilson 
has proclaimed the policy of the United States in 
relation to the Latin Republics of the western 
hemisphere to be one of morality and justice against 
political or financial expediency, and no one doubts 
the sincerity or the good faith with which that 
announcement of policy was made. But it is not 
the fear of the loss of territory by conquest on the 
part of the United States that creates uneasiness in 



310 THE TWO AMERICAS 

the greater countries of South America. It is rather 
the past evidences of a spirit of domination over 
the Latin Republics that have aroused resentment 
in those quarters where it is least desirable, and 
President Wilson emphasised this view when he 
said: 

''We must prove ourselves their friends and 
champions upon terms of equality and honour. You 
cannot be friends upon any other terms than upon 
the terms of equality." 

It is obvious, from their very nature, that con- 
cessions granted to foreigners for the enjoyment 
of monopolies are based on principles not strictly 
in accord with the theory of a republican form of 
government and that they frequently lead to inter- 
national conflicts as a result of differences between 
the grantor and grantees, but, even in cases where 
a weak nation may be the real offender, the re- 
sources of her courts of justice and of diplomacy 
should be exhausted before recourse is had to an 
attack upon her independence or upon her terri- 
torial integrity. In dwelling upon these conditions 
President Wilson declared that powerful nations, 
such as the United States, do not grant concessions 
but merely invite the investment of foreign capital. 
Yet if many of the difficulties which the smaller 
Latin- American Republics have had with other coun- 



CONCLUSION 811 

tries owe their origin to the granting of concessions 
it must also be remembered that in their earlier 
stages of existence and in the undeveloped state of 
their resources it would have been impossible to 
obtain capital for the exploitation of their indus- 
tries on conditions which were not to some extent 
oppressive. It must also be remembered that in 
most cases the granting of concessions has not been 
an unmixed evil to many of the southern Repub- 
lics. Abundant confirmation of this statement is to 
be seen in Argentina, where the original conces- 
sions — apparently onerous in terms — given to Brit- 
ish capitalists for the construction of railways in 
that country have led to the investment of upwards 
of one billion dollars in that form of enterprise alone 
and have made the Argentine Republic one of the 
most prosperous countries of the world. 

There are also instances in which foreign con- 
cessionaires have constituted themselves an impe- 
rium in imperio, but, even in those cases, the gradual 
development of the national wealth has produced 
competition among foreign investors and thus mini- 
mised the effects of the arbitrary exercise of the 
authority and influence acquired by the concession- 
aires. On the other hand there could be cited many 
examples of laudable enterprise and honourable con- 
duct on the part of the contractors when the only 
security offered them for embarking upon such 
investments were the possibilities and the hon- 



312 THE TWO AMERICAS 

esty of the countries always separated from 
them by great distance, by widely varying con- 
ditions, and by a foreign system of law. There 
are to-day many countries on the American con- 
tinent abounding in mineral riches and other 
latent sources of production which are retarded in 
their progress through the need of foreign capital to 
open them up. Great capitalists in the United 
States have so many opportunities for profitable in- 
vestment within their own borders that it is unlikely 
they would enter unknown and unproved channels 
without adequate inducements. The credit of a 
State is based on similar conditions to those apply- 
ing to private individuals and is governed entirely 
by considerations of classification and standing. 
Thus the question of government concessions to pri- 
vate contracting parties is always one of expediency. 
In view of what I have said as to the action of 
ex-President Eoosevelt in relation to the Panama 
Canal it would seem paradoxical and inconsistent on 
my part to eulogise the attitude of that distinguished 
man towards Latin- Americans. I am free, however, 
to admit that his latest utterances in regard to the 
people and countries of the southern portion of the 
continent are founded upon principles, the expres- 
sion of which will do much to allay the general in- 
dignation aroused by the mistaken act of patriotism 
which culminated in the violation of Colombia's 
most sacred rights. Colonel Eoosevelt 's lecture 



CONCLUSION 313 

demonstrated the results of his profound and con- 
scientious study of the history and characteristics 
of the Latin- American nations ; and in the belief that 
the objects of this work will be better served by a 
wider dissemination of the principles and facts em- 
bodied in that exhaustive analysis, I regard it as a 
duty and as an act of justice to reproduce here the 
following report of the lecture, extracted from the 
New York Times, of October 25th : 

1 ' The Western Hemisphere is slowly working out 
for itself its own theory of that part of international 
policy which concerns both the attitude of all the 
American Commonwealths in the face of the rest of 
the world, and also their dealings with one another. 
You, my hosts and hearers, and your guest, and our 
fellow-countrymen, alike belong to the young nations 
of the New "World. Because of the fact that it is a 
new world, and that we are young nations, we suffer 
certain disadvantages and have certain peculiar dif- 
ficulties of our own to face. Nevertheless, also be- 
cause of these very facts, we enjoy compensating 
advantages, which more than outweigh the disad- 
vantages. 

"Prominent among these advantages is the fact 
that we have an almost free hand for fair dealing 
in American international relations, being fettered 
by comparatively few of the wide inequalities of 
culture and civilisation, and the bitter memories of 



314 THE TWO AMERICAS 

history, which of necessity prevent any community 
of feeling among races which stand at the opposite 
poles of human existence ; whereas in the Old World, 
in the huge continental mass composed of Europe, 
Asia, and Africa, there exist many vast and popu- 
lous regions sundered from one another by the well- 
nigh impassable gulfs which lie between civilisation 
and barbarism, and between barbarism and pure 
savagery. 

"Here in America the civilised nations do not 
have to fear huge military barbarisms. Neither do 
we have to dread the presence of vast tracts of coun- 
try peopled by savages, which the civilised nations 
must bring under control, and which, if not pos- 
sessed by one efficient and civilised nation, merely 
become the property of some other efficient and civ- 
ilised nation. Under such conditions it is practically 
impossible to reach a general working agreement of 
any kind about international conduct; for the com- 
munities — European, Asiatic, and African — stand 
on planes of culture and conduct which are hope- 
lessly far apart. 

"In the two Americas, on the contrary, there are 
no such wide divisions. With negligible exceptions 
all the important nations possess a common heritage 
of Occidental civilisation, and, as compared with the 
other divergencies in the Old World, they possess 
substantially similar governmental forms and re- 
ligions and cultural ideals. 



CONCLUSION 315 

"Again, with negligible exceptions, there are no 
great waste spaces, tenanted only by savages, which 
are open to settlement by and are the potential 
causes of quarrel among the civilised powers; the 
remaining tracts of land open to settlement and de- 
velopment — and nowhere are they larger or more 
inviting than here in Brazil — are substantially all 
within the well-settled boundaries of fully estab- 
lished nations. 

"In consequence there is a far better chance here 
than elsewhere to work out some scheme of common 
international conduct which shall guarantee to 
every nation freedom from molestation by others so 
long as its own skirts are free from wrongdoing, 
and so long as it does not itself sink into a condition 
of mere impotent anarchy. There are two sides to 
consider: first, our common attitude toward Old 
World powers, and, second, our relations among our- 
selves. 

"Less than a century and a half have passed since 
the entire Western Hemisphere was held in real or 
titular possession by European nations; at that 
time the fate and ownership of the American col- 
onies depended on the outcome of wars between na- 
tions across the seas. As late as a century ago this 
condition still obtained as regards all American 
countries except my own, and that was less than half 
its present size and of not a tenth its present 
strength. 



316 THE TWO AMERICAS 

' ' Ninety years ago the countries of Latin America 
had likewise achieved independence ; but it was still 
a precarious independence, and there was still like- 
lihood that some one of the great military European 
nations would reestablish itself as an American 
power at the expense of one or more of the strug- 
gling infant nationalities. At that time the United 
States was still the only American nation able to 
secure any hearing whatever in Europe, and even 
the United States could secure only a scant and im- 
patient hearing. 

' ' Now there are several American nations, promi- 
nent among which is your own, who can secure re- 
spectful hearing anywhere in the world. These 
American nations, such as Brazil and the United 
States, stand on an absolute footing of equality. 
One cardinal doctrine on which we all agree is that 
America shall not be treated as offering ground for 
fresh colonisation or territorial aggrandisement by 
any Old World power. 

"This is a doctrine of vital concern to all the na- 
tions of America ; for it would be a calamity to all if 
any great military nation of the Old World obtained 
a foothold here; such an event would in the end 
force us all, under penalty of loss of our own inde- 
pendence, ourselves to become military powers, and 
to plunge this continent back into Old World condi- 
tions of armed rivalry. 

' ' So much for the common interest of all our Com- 



CONCLUSION 317 

monwealths in the face of non-American powers. 
No less vital is the matter of our own behaviour 
toward one another, no less than toward these non- 
American powers. 

"The relations of the northern and the southern 
continents of the Western Hemisphere are certain 
to become much closer in the future. The opening 
of the Panama Canal will itself markedly help to 
make them closer, and great though the benefits of 
the Canal will be to our own country, I believe that 
they will be if anything even greater to the coun- . 
tries of South America. I wish to see the trade be- 
tween the United States and all South American 
countries increase and in such intercourse the first 
essential is the ability to inspire confidence. There- 
fore, from every standpoint, I believe that the United 
States should scrupulously so act as to inspire con-*» 
fidence in her sister republics. 

"It is for this reason that I feel a peculiar na- ^ 
tional pride in our having twice withdrawn from 
Cuba, and having intervened in Santo Domingo 
purely for Santo Domingo's advantage. There is 
no brighter chapter in our history than that which 
tells of these actions. The United States does not 
wish the territory of its neighbours. It does wish 
their confidence. If ever as regards any country, 
intervention does unfortunately become necessary, I 
hope that wherever possible it will be a joint inter- 
vention by such powers as Brazil and the United 



318 THE TWO AMERICAS 

States, without thought of the selfish aggrandise- 
ment of any of them and for the common good of the 
western world. 

"With every right there must always go hand in 
hand a duty; and no man, and no nation, can per- 
manently enjoy the right if he or it shirks the duty. 
With every privilege there must go the responsibil- 
ity of exercising the privilege aright. Every Amer- 
ican Commonwealth is bound as a matter of honor- 
able obligation to behave fairly toward its sister 
Commonwealth; and this is an impossibility if it 
does not keep order and enforce justice within its 
own borders. Among civilised nations it is a gen- 
eral, although not a universal, rule that ability to 
command respect abroad is largely dependent upon 
the preservation of stability and order and the 
proper administration of justice at home. 

1 1 The history of my own country teaches this les- 
son. Like your country, like Brazil, we had to deal 
with the problem of the abolition of slavery. We 
showed less ability than you did to deal with it in 
wise and cool-handed fashion. You abolished it 
peacefully and without bloodshed, whereas in our 
case it cost us a terrible civil war, and brought the 
nation to the verge of destruction. During that pe- 
riod we lost all power to help other nationalities in 
our hemisphere, op.;$$ enforce respect from others 
for our own rights whether in America or elsewhere. 

' ' Had we remained disunited, had we become sub- 



CONCLUSION 319 

ject to chronic revolutionary disturbance, we should 
have reduced ourselves to utter and shameful impo- 
tence in the face of the nations of mankind ; and one 
result would unquestionably have been that America 
would once again have become subject to schemes of 
colonisation and armed territorial occupation by Old . 
World powers. 

"It is for this reason I feel not only that you are 
to be congratulated but that all of us who belong 
to the brotherhood of American Commonwealths are 
to be congratulated because of the steady growth 
in power, prosperity and stability which your great 
Eepublic of Brazil has of recent years so conspicu- 
ously shown — a marvellous growth, in which certain 
other South American Eepublics have had their 
share. I believe that, just as in the nineteenth cen- \ 
tury the most striking growth feature of the civil- 
ised world was what took place in North America, 
so in the twentieth century the most permanently 
important feature will be the growth and develop- 
ment of South America. I believe that the present 
century is the century of South America. 

"Furthermore, I believe that the world has now 
grown sufficiently advanced to realise that normally 
the growth of one nation in prosperity and well-be- 
ing is of benefit, and not harm, to other nations. 
Among private individuals it is normally a benefit, 
and not a disadvantage, to a man to live in a well-to- 
do neighbourhood, to have neighbours who are sue- 



320 THE TWO AMERICAS 

cessful in life, and to deal with men who are pros- 
perous. For precisely similar reasons it is an ad- 
vantage to a nation to have as neighbours nations 
which are thriving and successful. Such a nation 
is benefited if the other nations with which it has 
commercial and diplomatic relations are prosperous 
in their business, and therefore stable in their gov- 
ernmental activities. 

"Under a republican or democratic form of gov- 
ernment this means that there must be an honest 
chance to settle differences of public opinion at the 
polls by votes fairly cast and fairly counted, and a 
willingness, when the decision has thus been fairly 
reached, to abide by it. This must, therefore, also 
mean the general recognition of the fact that cheat- 
ing and swindling, whether by force or fraud, at the 
polls or at the nominating conventions are well-nigh 
as obnoxious, and if long continued would be abso- 
lutely as obnoxious to public morality as armed 
revolutionary violence itself. 

"From this it follows that every American nation 
has reason to congratulate itself on the stability and 
prosperity of its sister nations. I am sure that I 
utter the sentiments of the people of the United 
States when I say that their only desire, as regards 
neighbouring countries, is to see them stable, or- 
derly and prosperous. Any country whose people 
conduct themselves in such fashion can count upon 
the hearty and practical friendship of the United 



CONCLUSION 321 

States. If they act with reasonable efficiency and 
decency in social and political matters, if they keep 
order and discharge their just obligations, they will 
surely achieve national success; and it is this na- 
tional success, for all of her sister republics, which 
the United States sincerely and earnestly desires. 

1 ' Chronic wrong-doing, or an impotence which re- ^ 
suits in a general loosening of the ties of civilised 
society, may in America as elsewhere ultimately 
force intervention by some strong and stable civil- 
ised nation in the exercise of an international police 
power. Such a duty is thankless, irksome, and un- 
pleasant, whether it be performed by England, 
France, or the United States, whether in Algiers or 
Egypt, or on the Isthmus of Panama; and, there- 
fore, we all hail with delight the advent to real 
power of such nations as Brazil, the Argentine, and 
Chile, whose maintenance of peace and security 
within their own bounds, and whose efforts to sub- 
stitute other and fairer methods for those of war in 
the settlement of international disputes in South 
America are fraught with good omen for the entire 
Western Hemisphere. 

"Each of us has something to learn from, and 
something to teach to, his neighbours. I believe 
that in the era which is now opening the republics 
of Latin America will be able to teach much to the 
people of my own country. The Latin American 
people possess many qualities which it would be 



322 THE TWO AMERICAS 

well for us of the north to develop. Their unques- 
tioned superiority in intellectual brilliancy and logic 
will enable them, when once they have secured in- 
ternal peace and government stability, to achieve 
a better solution of some of the most vital prob- 
lems of popular government than any that has yet 
been reached in any part of the world. ' ' 

With justifiable national pride, Colonel Roosevelt 
draws his comparison of the social and political 
conditions of the great Republic of the north with 
those of the south, where, in most cases, they have 
produced so marked a change in results ; but, whilst 
indicating these differences he does full justice to 
the many qualities and intellectual strength of the 
Ibero-American nations. Warm-hearted, impulsive, 
and eager for political emancipation, the Latin peo- 
ple of America have invariably subordinated ma- 
terial advantage to their social and moral improve- 
ment ; and this in a large measure accounts for many 
of the uprisings and for the turbulent conditions 
which have characterised the comparatively short 
history of many of these countries. The rude com- 
motions which followed the liberation of all the Re- 
publics forming the great heart of South America 
appear to have been rooted in these virgin lands, 
whose people sought the enemy in their own terri- 
tory and launched themselves against each other 
with an utter disregard of the fact that they were 



CONCLUSION 323 

all of common parentage. Most of these youthful 
nations have suffered through long periods of civil 
strife which impeded their advance; but, ultimately 
realising that these internal struggles were weaken- 
ing the national forces, they discarded their fac- 
tional colours and gathered under a united flag to 
exchange the rifle for the hoe, the sword for the 
plough, and the wheels of the cannon for the wheels 
of the locomotive. 

Although, even at the present time in one Republic 
or another, there arises some revolutionary spirit, 
it is only the convulsive effect of a medieval era 
that is passing, the final eruption of a dying political 
volcano, or the last cannonade in the triumph of 
peace after a decisive battle. The age has passed 
for the existence of the barbarous conditions which 
at one time plunged so many of the Latin Republics 
into a state of misery. To-day every country must 
conform to the higher order of civilisation imposed 
upon it by the demands of universal peace and good 
will. The smaller Republics of the American con- 
tinent have many beautiful examples to follow ; and 
they have only to look for some of these, to the three 
great countries to the south, whose phenomenal 
progress in every phase of national effort and duty 
has evoked the admiration of the world. The Re- 
publics of Argentina, Brazil and Chile have shown, 
in a manner worthy of emulation, the practical wis- 
dom of diverting the energies of the people from 



324 THE TWO AMERICAS 

the harmful pursuits of civil wars to the more bene- 
ficial occupation of developing the national indus- 
tries. In a corresponding degree most of the others 
have entered upon the same forward march ; and in 
succession to the revolutions which formerly red- 
dened their soil and darkened the blue of their skies, 
there has dawned an era of peace and tranquility 
which will lead to that moral and material advance 
to which they all have so many legitimate claims. 



THE END 






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